Makes Three
by siresalvatore
Summary: For a brief while, everything had been peaceful. The Originals fled, Matt and Jeremy are still at the lake house, and Stefan, Caroline, and Tyler are gone, in the midst of a search for the cure. When their friends, and enemies come back, sensing something off about Elena, she and Damon are shocked by news they never thought possible. [First fic, rated M for lots of smut.]
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: Honestly, I hate my writing. But I'm working on it, okay? So be nice. Constructive criticism and reviews period are welcome. The chapters are kind of short for my liking, they seem so much longer in WordPad. Takes place sometime within the 3rd and 4th season, just maybe a little out of order. Kinda. Chapters will get longer, yadayada, let me know what you think, and as always, thanks for reading.**

**Warning for smut in the very first scene.**

**=x=**

Before he even got to the door, she felt him draw nearer; her sire, the man she had bonded with infinitely, was _finally_ home. Getting up, Elena tossed the book she had been reading on the couch behind her, rushing quickly to the door and flinging it open.

As soon as their gazes met, she watched as his cool blue eyes bored through her, moving up and down her body slowly as if memorizing every single bit of her; from her perfectly rounded face, pink and warm and full of oh so much life, to the swell of her breasts that rose and fell with every single pull of oxygen in her lungs, down the curve of her hips and her long legs. His eyes swept back up her body beneath his dark lashes and landed on her face, brows drawing together.

Something about his arrival this time was different, something about the way her brown eyes blackened. But before he could question her, she ran to him, throwing her weight into his chest. It was like they hadn't seen each other in years, although it had only been a few days.

Damon had no time to care about whatever was going on, currently.

Instead, he lost himself in Elena. He caught her beneath her butt with one hand, drawing her body close and fitting them together like two puzzle pieces, and his other hand came up to cup her face so that he could crash their mouths together in a blistering kiss, filled with tongue and nipping teeth. He moved them both into the house, never once taking a breath that wasn't hers.

"I missed you," She whispered sweetly against his pale mouth, flicking her tongue against his canines as her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. Damon could only groan into their kiss, and before he had a chance to stop her, she had him pinned against the wall and was pushing his shirt off his shoulders. She eased her lips away from his own and down his neck. Chills raced up his spine; the older vampire felt electricity sweep through him. His hair stood on end.

Moving south, her kisses turned into occasional nips and then sharp bites, and Damon was left gasping when they finally became eye level once more "You have _no_ idea."

He growled, and Elena was left flabbergasted when he suddenly had her on her back in their shared bed, lifting her sweater over her head and swiftly unbuttoning her jeans. She laid back for him as he wanted, chest heaving when he lifted her legs in the air and began slowly sliding the denim down them until they were off.

"Damon," Came her murmured plea as he kissed the bottom of her foot, then the inside of her ankle, and slowly up her leg. The way his name slipped from her lips so softly, the way her tongue made an appearance as she sighed it out to him, everything about her; it drove him absolutely fucking crazy. He was eager to give to her, give her everything she wanted. For although he was her sire - she was his queen, dominant and brave and strong but yet caring and compassionate and gentle. She was his very existence, the thing that balanced his humanity as well as the instinct to kill.

"Elena," He countered with a sly grin, and she glared up at him, eyes demanding as the struggle to overpower one another started again.

Elena moved swiftly and quickly, pinning his rock hard body beneath her and dropping her pelvis down above his hips to sit on him. The female vampire grabbed his face, leaning down to attack his mouth once more with her own dangerously hot kisses. She trailed them up his ear, poking her tongue out to lick the shell of his lobe.

Damon groaned deep in his throat before quickly growing tired of the teasing kisses and her definition of 'love bites' that sent shocks straight through his body all the way down to his cock.

"Elena," He said in his calmest voice, twisting his fingers in her dark locks once again. "I'm not one to sit and be teased, you know this."

There was another shift of power as Damon grabbed her wrists, rolling her over. She fought, arching up against him, and his hips pressed into hers. He leaned down in her ear. "Mmmm, much better..."

She glared at him, defiance written across her face. That was another thing that drove him wild - when she challenged him. She knew that he would always and forever take her down, but not once had he ever sensed fear from her. She was brave and stood her ground to him, and he loved it. But not right now.

"Submit to me, Elena."

The words cut through her like a hot knife, heat shooting straight down her spine and delicious arousal spiking between her legs. She was silent, eyes wide and gazing up at him. His voice was velvet soft; not loud, but strong enough for her to identify that he meant business.

She had truly missed him, and she was going to show him just how badly. She did as her sire asked - submitted, reveled in the feeling of his hands releasing her and coming to squeeze her shoulders before slipping down over her ample breasts. He could feel them peak beneath his hands. She was so tempting, mouth watering - he needed her. He could hear her blood rushing through her veins as his hands coursed over her blazing, flushed skin. Then he got to his knees on the bed, lifting her onto them and reaching behind to unhook her bra.

Elena's arms came round his neck and she pulled him in for a kiss, her fingers tangling in his soft black tresses. "Oh," She sighed softly into his mouth.

"Do you know I'm going to do to you when I finish getting your clothes off?" He said as he threw her back down, not bothering to take her panties off. He grinned when he heard her breath catch as he ripped her panties down her legs until she was beautifully naked in front of him. And he could not get enough of her, Damon drank her in until he was drunk and hung over and then did it all over again.

"I have a pretty good idea," She laughed as she reached forward, pulling the button of his jeans loose.

"Stop," Damon rumbled in his chest, and took no further time in getting naked. When he caught the look of desire on Elena's face, the way her eyes darkened and her expression changed - that's when he knew, that's when he could tell that she was no longer a human. Her desires registered right there, plain as day, and one could easily tell that if he were a human, she would kill him. She would sink her teeth deep into his jugular and drain him.

It drove him crazy - she was so alive, burning with so much fire and he loved to spark it. There was never any telling what his precious Elena was capable of when someone had lit her up. Depending on who it was, she could be so many different things, at so many different levels.

'Just another one of my favorite things about her,' He said to himself.

He loved seeing how he had molded her into the perfect vampire, and the way her attitude reflected him.

He smirked down at her when he saw her brown eyes trailing his body. He was not only her sire, not only her boyfriend - he was her _master._ And they both knew it.

When he moved back between her legs, the desire remained, eyes locked on his face. She watched him clench his jaw.

Damon held her legs apart, never once allowing his eyes to leave her own, and he pressed himself into her deeply, filling her body up. He felt her moan deep in her throat, her hands coming up to hold onto his biceps.

Thrusting his fingers into her locks, he pulled her mouth to his and began to move inside of her. She quickly matched his rhythm, one leg moving up to drape over his hip. Damon growled into her kiss when he felt her toes teasing the back of his knee. Every hair on his body stood on end.

"Moan for me, Elena," He whispered to her, and she did. Her brows furrowed; she accepted Damon's hard body willingly. He did so many amazing things to her, it drove her mad. She was much newer to this than he - and with her senses magnified, every time their hips clashed wildly she trembled beneath him, mouth falling open to release a whimper or moan, or some little noise that made him want to plow into her harder just so he could hear them over and over and over again.

Wasting no time in trying to regain control, Elena pushed her sire onto his back, hovering over top of him once again.

He stared at her, brows raising, the smirk back on his face as he cupped her tiny waist in his hands and brought her down onto him, thrusting his hips up into her equally as their bodies met once more. She yelled for him, and Damon groaned, clenching his eyes shut as he used her so wonderfully, bringing her down on him over and over again.

"Damon," She sputtered, hands resting on his chest. She gave into him, gave him whatever he want. She let him buck up against her wildly and then roll her back over, raising her legs and plowing into her over and over again. Her eyes fell shut, lips trembling as she began to chant his name.

"Damon, Damon, Damon..."

Every time he heard his name fall from her lips, he lost an ounce of self control. And in this moment, he was thankful she wasn't human - because he didn't need any. He needed no self control - this was his self control - she was his self control. He angled her legs higher and his hips lower and pushed back into her again, both of them beginning to lose control together.

"Damon, Damon, Damon," She cried, and each time, her voice raised higher in pitch. The male vampire listened to her heart speed up, thumping, pumping drop after drop of blood through her veins. He could sense her pending orgasm, could feel it in his own body as the tidal wave crashed down onto her and she clenched around him, calling out his name again louder and louder.

He did not stop, though. He kept going, kept himself in the perfect position to drive her nuts in the midst of her sexual explosion, bringing an orgasm after another; and she hadn't even had a moment to get over the first one.

Elena did not stop calling his name until Damon thrust into her one final time, shouting his release and riding through it before slowly sinking down on her and laying his head in the curve of her neck.

He was the first to speak after a period of silence as her palms smoothed up and down his back comfortingly. "Hungry?" He asked, and she laughed, smiling up at him.

"You're the only guy I know who wants to drink blood after sex."

"Maybe, but I know you're tired," He said back softly, his signature smirk on his face. She watched him get up leisurely, taking in his form again as he turned and pulled a pair of boxer briefs up over his hips.

Elena '_ooh_'d him, her eyes sparkling as she smiled widely up at him. Damon rolled his eyes and walked out of the bedroom and through the house.

As he entered the kitchen, Damon was stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes landed on a head of blonde curls, pale blue-green eyes, and a bright smile on her face.

"Caroline?" Damon asked, as if there was a point, even though he already knew _exactly_ who she was.

She had been gone with Tyler and Stefan for months, looking for the cure. Klaus and the rest had fled, and the only ones left were Bonnie, Matt, and Jeremy, except Matt and Jeremy were at the Gilbert lake house, so it was really just Bonnie.

"Damon." She replied evenly, and although she and Damon rarely saw eye-to-eye, she couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Where's Elena?"

"Oh, you're telling me you're not here to see me?" He pouted, feigning hurt, and Caroline shook her head and laughed.

"No, Damon, I'm here fo-" And before the young vampire could complete her sentence, she was thrown back when Elena breezed through the house and crashed into her with a hug.

"Caroline! What are you doing here? Is Tyler here with you? And what abo-.." Through the door, Tyler appeared, Stefan close behind.

Elena felt embarrassed when she realized everyone was there, but yet she and Damon stood, clad in boxers and Elena with one of her boyfriend's button ups on.

It didn't stop Tyler from approaching her and wrapping her in a warm hug - she missed these things. Simple things like hugs from her friends. She squeezed Tyler, grateful for his presence.

Damon's eyes locked with Stefan's, and they waged war silently between one another. He knew that his younger brother still hadn't forgiven him for all that had happened - and the older Salvatore didn't blame him. He understood why Stefan was still searching for the cure.

"What are you guys doing back here?" Elena asked as she pulled away, looking at Stefan for a moment, then back down.

No matter how long it had been, she still couldn't bring herself to look her previous boyfriend in the eyes. She knew she had hurt him, had made him turn off his feelings. Everyone eventually realized that it wasn't the sire bond that made her attach herself to Damon, but apparently the younger Salvatore was still stuck in the past.

"Bonnie called us..." Caroline said slowly, eyes drifting over her four companions. "She said... something's going on with you. She said she can't tell what's wrong, but she said there's something different. And... well, I figured I might as well pay a visit to my best friends anyway, so I decided to stop by and, you know, check up on you!" She was her usual bubbly, concerned self, her smile inviting.

"What? What do you mean? Bonnie hasn't said anything to me. There's nothing wrong at all, I've been fine." The confused look on Damon's face relayed to Elena that he hasn't heard anything either. He shrugged innocently.

Caroline grabbed Elena by her shoulders, peering at her friend with furrowed brows and spinning her, looking her up and down.

"I don't know what she means either. You seem fine to me."

Once more, Elena looked up, and her eyes finally met Stefan's. He couldn't hide the disappointment in them, although he'd rid himself of the feelings he had for her.

"She's fine, can we just go?" The last thing Stefan wanted was to be there, to see Elena and Damon in their glory with one another. But he tried to ignore it, tried to think 'for Caroline and Tyler' because he knew they all wanted to catch up.

Stefan turned to walk away, clenching his jaw when he felt Damon's presence behind him, both of them entering the living room.

"Drink?" Damon asked his brother without waiting for answer, grabbing two empty glasses and pouring a glass of scotch for the both of them.

"What's wrong with her, Damon?" Stefan asked, looking up at the older vampire dangerously.

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong with her. You weren't the only one capable of protecting Elena, you know?"

"I can smell her, Damon. I can smell something different, and I can sense it. I don't know what it is, but Bonnie can sense it, I can sense it, and I know you know something."

For once in his life, Damon was absolutely clueless. He had no idea what the hell Stefan was talking about. Nothing had changed. Elena lived with him, in their home, and they did what they'd always done. "I don't know, Stefan. She's done normal things, stuff she's always done - with less evil vampires and hybrids. I don't know what you sense, or think you sense. Bonnie, you know Bonnie, she's a witch. Her Ju-Ju magic is probably bringing on bad vibes or something. But instead of coming to Elena, go figure, she comes to you." His expression said it all - he was telling the truth.

They exchanged a few brief moments of silence, before Damon passed the younger of them his drink, sighing. "Look, Stefan, really. I don't know anything."

Stefan's head hung, before he looked back up to Damon, graciously accepting the drink and taking it down in one. "Something's different."

=x=

"How are you, Elena? You look great," Tyler said as they sat down together.

It had been at least three months since the last time they were all together. Elena got tired of looking for a cure she knew didn't exist, got tired of Stefan trying to change her. And when Klaus and his siblings fled Mystic Falls, she declined their invitation to follow.

She had all that she needed here.

"I feel good," Elena admitted, smiling at him. "I'm happy. It's been a good few months. What's going on with you guys? Are you getting any closer to finding Klaus?"

Tyler and Caroline locked gazes, and Caroline sighed, looking at Elena.

"That's another thing... we found him, here. At the grill."

Elena's expression took on concern. She had just finally gotten peace. "He's here?"

Caroline nodded. "We need your blood for the cure, Elena. But... Klaus won't work with us. And he absolutely refuses anyone who wants to come after you. He said the same thing Bonnie said, he thinks there's something different."

She furrowed her brows.

What did they mean? What was different?

"Does he know what it is?" Elena asked, and Caroline sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't know. I-I could call him and have him come over, but I don't know if he knows."

Nodding her head at her friend expectantly, Elena gestured to the blonde. Caroline picked up her phone, dialing Klaus and waiting for his answer.

=x=

"Well, if it isn't the most beautiful Caroline." Elena hears him, his thick accent giving him away instantly over the phone.

"Oh, jeez. I didn't call for chit-chat, or to flirt. Can you come to Elena's? Like, ASAP."

"And why would I do that, Caroline?"

Tyler listened in on them - he hated it when she talked to Klaus, because he knew deep down inside that there was, and always had been, some weird little attraction between the two. And Klaus - he was at Caroline's beck and call. All it took for her to get her way was some of her sweet southern charm.

"You said something was different, so did Bonnie. And Stefan. And, she seems different. I don't know what it is, but I need you to tell me."

On the other end of the phone, Klaus sat at the bar, a beautiful brunette between his legs... that he had been ready to feed on a moment before Caroline called. He smirked at the realization - the blonde vampire had saved this girl's life.

"It could be many different things."

"Yeah, but you'll know which one it is, Klaus."

"Who's to say?"

Quickly growing frustrated, Caroline spoke to him, not allowing him to lie to her. "Me, I'm to say. Because if you didn't know, you'd have your minions and your freaky little hybrids-" She paused to mouth a sorry to Tyler, who scowled at her. "Coming after Elena so that you could get your hands on the cure."

Klaus smirked, laughing into the phone. "Ah, Caroline, you're so smart. Part of the reason I like you; looks and brains.

I'm afraid I can't tell you. As I said, it could be many different things. I know it is significant enough, however, that I should not be testing the waters with Elena or with the Salvatore brothers at this very moment."

"Then come tell me what it is!"

"And what's in it for me, love?" Caroline made a face - she hated when he called her that.

Klaus heard her sigh over the phone, and grinned when he realized what she was about to say. "Don't be shy,"He said.

"We can go on another date," She spat, watching Tyler's jaw drop as he threw his hands up in the air at her. "But you better come now, I'm leaving tomorrow night."

As soon as she agreed, Klaus hung up, finishing his drink.

With his arm on the small of the brunette's back, he smiled devilishly at her before leaning forward to whisper in her ear. He detoured, sinking his teeth quickly into her neck. He tasted her blood, sweet and pure on his tongue, and moaned before ripping away from her and letting her body slump against the bar stool.

=x=

Damon left Stefan long enough to dress himself, but when he finished, he sensed something evil close by - an unwelcome presence that he recognized immediately.

He moved downstairs quickly and pulled the door open before Klaus had time to knock. Everyone watched him from the kitchen, and Stefan came up behind his older brother.

"Klaus?"

"Hello, Damon. Fancy seeing you, huh? Last time we saw one another I was on a mission to kill you."

"Get in line; you have plenty of people trying to kill you. Why are you here?" Damon demanded.

"Caroline summoned me for Elena. Unfortunately, I really need to be invited in."

"And why would we do that?" Stefan asked, pursing his lips as he watched Klaus cautiously.

Elena suddenly appeared in the door way, staring at the original, and Klaus could see the worry etched in her face. "Come in," she said.

Damon and Stefan eyed the girl before reluctantly stepping aside. Klaus stepped inside, his demeanor changing as he was engulfed in heaviness. His brows furrowed. He could sense something very strange, but it wasn't something he had ever felt before.

Turning his eyes back to Elena, he found the brunette's wrist, seizing her closer to stare into her eyes.

"Tell me," He compelled; drawing the female vampire in with his gaze. Elena's pupils dilated as she looked at him.

"I don't know." She replied truthfully.

He released her and walked into the kitchen.

Tension was thick in the air - but that wasn't the difference. The gang of them watched him move around the house slowly. Every once in a while, he'd stop, take in a deep breath.

Klaus found himself opening the basement door and walking down into it. After retrieving a few blood bags from the freezer, he walked back upstairs, ripping one open and handing it to her.

As soon as she caught sight and smell of the blood, Elena's eyes darkened and she sipped from it. It barely took her three minutes to finish the entire bag, and then she wanted more, which Klaus handed to her. She sucked that down right after.

"Has she been feeding from the vein?" Klaus asked, looking to Damon for answers.

"If she has been, I haven't seen her."

"Have her hormones been normal?"

"Why the hell are you asking me? Maybe? I left to go see Jeremy and Matt. When I came back, she was only a little crazy."

"For sex?"

Stefan visibly stiffened, and Damon sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose and nodding. "What's this got to do with anything?"

Klaus looked to Elena again, once more taking her arm and gazing into her warm eyes. "Have you fed on any humans?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"A few days ago. I was leaving the grill..."

"Did you kill them?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Three of them."

"Why?"

"I was hungry..."

Klaus' brows furrowed, his expression unreadable. He held her arm in his hand, eyes searching her face.

Then suddenly it dawned on him... and his eyes widened.

"No... that can't be possible."

Caroline looked at him with concern, her eyes pleading. "What, Klaus? What is it?"

Placing a hand to Elena's lower stomach, Klaus felt her there, his palm flat against her belly. Damon's eyes darkened.

"What the hell are you doing to her?"

Klaus snorted, rolling his eyes and ignoring the oldest Salvatore.

He was quiet for a minute, then when he realized that his thoughts had been confirmed - he gasped.

"Oh, my... this could be a problem."

"_What_ is a problem?!" Came Caroline's annoyed voice, scowling at Klaus.

"Well, I do believe congratulations are in order." Everyone looked at him, expecting an answer from the original, who couldn't keep the smirk off his face or the sparkle out of his eye.

"Elena and her sire are expecting."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: Thanks to those who read, favorited, and gave feedback. I appreciate it. If you wonder why I don't like the way I write -I just feel like I'm not the greatest at developing characters and keeping accurate plots. Although the characters in the show are already developed, I often read over each chapter and read the words in the voices of each of them. I have to figure out things like 'is that something Klaus would say?' Or 'would Damon act like that?' It's a bit of a challenge. And I try to stick with the general story of Vampire Diaries, but it isn't always the easiest when you're throwing in elements like pregnancy, which wouldn't happen (as far as we know) in the show. I know this chapter is equally short, but I am working on lengthening them and developing my plot. As always, please leave your criticisms or reviews of any kind - they are truly appreciated. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!**

**=x=**

"Expecting _what_?" Damon spat, cutting through the heavy silence that filled the air.

"Oh my God..." murmured Caroline.

Tyler looked at her, touching her shoulder gently. "What is it?"

"Damon and Elena are having a baby." Came Klaus's response, amusement laced within the deep English accent.

Stefan's eyes lifted and locked on Damon, who appeared equally as shocked. The older vampire swallowed thickly, holding his hands up in surrender to his younger brother. Without a moment more of hesitation, Stefan drew his fist back and swung on Damon, throwing him on his back.

Damon groaned loudly, rolling over in an attempt to pull himself up off the floor. He looked up at Stefan, and felt sharp pain shoot up his side as he delivered a swift kick to his ribs.

The oldest Salvatore knew that - unless he was given a moment to get up, which wasn't likely - Stefan was in the process of kicking his ass. Though Damon was stronger, older, and faster, his younger brother was not far behind.

And when properly provoked, Stefan was capable of a single-handed massacre.

"Stefan, stop! He's your brother!" Elena shouted, and Stefan stilled, turning around to look at her.

The look written all over his face told her that he couldn't have cared less. She knew inside, that had it not been for her and their circle of mutual friends, her sire would have been in a world of hurt, because Stefan's anger was unmatched.

He could've _killed_ Damon.

"You think I care about _my brother_?" The same soft eyes that used to haunt her every thought, the ones that used to look at her lovingly, joyfully, were now filled with hatred, disgust - and for a brief moment, Elena truly believed that Stefan hated Damon with everything he had in him.

"You think I care about someone who ruined everything? My entire life? Who made it his life's mission to make me miserable? Who wanted you from day one and did everything in his power to get you? And _you_ want me to care about _him_?"

Damon scowled, clenching his jaw. He wasn't afraid to admit he deserved it.

"Stefan, he didn't do it.

Damon didn't force me to have feelings for him, so stop putting the blame on him! If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. I chose Damon!" She saw the hurt etched in his face and softened, reaching her hand out to grab his shoulder gently. "Stefan, I-I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I know I've told you that before - but I'm being truthful. Neither of us knew this would happen, how could we?"

"You never think about it anyway, Elena! When has knowing the consequences for your actions ever mattered? Huh? You don't care. All you care about is kissing Damon's ass every chance you get." Stefan felt the ice around his cold heart crack when he saw Elena's expression. Tears swam in her eyes.

He wished he could step forward, grab her arms and pull her close. He wished he could wipe the tears from her eyes and comfort her.

God, he missed her so much.

"I never expected this, Stefan! You think I asked for this!? To hurt someone I love!? I can't help how I feel."

Stefan laughed bitterly, shaking his head.

He was quiet, watching Damon get to his feet and pop his jaw back into place.

"Well, Damon, you got what you always wanted. I'm miserable for the rest of my life, you get the girl, and even though neither of you are anything even _close_ to human beings, you still get the perfect family!"

"Get the hell out, Stefan," Damon spat to his younger brother, voice laced with venom. He was quickly growing angry.

Sparing his brother and Elena one last glance, Stefan turned on his heel and headed for the door. Caroline quickly got up to follow, giving Tyler a look that read 'come on!'

"I'll text you later, Elena," the blonde haired vampire said sympathetically, walking out behind Stefan with a frown on her face as she grabbed Tyler's hand and pulled him along with her.

Klaus stared at the pair as Damon wiped a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth.

The original smirked, shaking his head and laughing sadistically.

"Of all the things you could've done, Damon. You steal your brother's girlfriend, sleep with her the same day, move her in with you, and then you reproduce with her, which, mind you, shouldn't even be possible! But leave it to the doppelganger to hold power that none of us hold.

Isn't it funny? She will be _miserable_. She might even hate you afterwards. This process is hell for a human carrying a human child. Do you think carrying a vampire spawn is going to be easy work?

The most miserable part is that she's sired to you, _doomed_ to do what you say for eternity." His eyes grew serious, expression bleak. "Unless you somehow find the cure. And I don't think that's going to be to easy, or even useful at this point."

Damon and Klaus locked eyes, challenging one another. Both of them knew that Klaus was a true freak of nature, and could destroy them - no questions asked. But he didn't bother to challenge the original.

There was too much to lose.

Klaus spoke again, voice low. "Stefan will _never_ forgive you for this."

He followed suit, aiming to give them their peace. Although strong, Klaus was the farthest thing from stupid.

Before he could make his exit, Damon appeared suddenly in front of him.

"How can I protect her?"

"I don't know if you can. There's people out there, Damon. And if they suspect that vampires can reproduce, they'll do anything to keep that from happening. The only way to prevent that risk is to lock her up in a cell, don't you think? This child will be remarkable, with strength that cannot be matched by the likes of you. I suggest you figure out a way to get rid of it."

Elena's eyes widened, her teeth grit.

Being her usual self, she didn't bother to think of the consequences of her next move, just like Stefan had pointed out earlier, and she lunged for Klaus, stopped suddenly by the force of a hand that wrapped around her neck and lifted her straight off her feet.

Gasping, she struggled, her hands trying to claw his fingers away from her throat. Damon tensed, fists clenching at his sides as he prepared to make a move, but Klaus warned him not to interfere.

"Now, Elena, I don't want to have to kill you. I don't think Damon would be too happy knowing you and your offspring were brutally murdered." Klaus eyed the both of them.

"I will ensure your safety from other vampires. But anything else, I cannot promise. I'm not protecting you because I care, so don't get it twisted in your fragile mind. I don't think that your current state is going to be an easy one to deal with. If you're having a miracle baby, do believe that it will come with a price. I just want to see all this unfold. I want to see the sickness and the misery that comes with it. And maybe, if we're all lucky, we might get to watch you _die_, Elena Gilbert."

Klaus grinned, releasing her from his grasp. He looked at Damon, raising his eyebrows as if saying '_try me'_ when the Salvatore's face twisted into a snarl.

He took the Elena's side quickly, a hand on the small of her back. S

he panted, massaging her throat gratefully.

"Good night," Klaus said finally, nodding his head at Damon and walking out the door.

=x=

Stefan had finally managed to get away from his two companions, moving through the woods quickly with dangerous speed.

Rage sizzled inside of him, boiling quickly and more quickly, and he knew that if he didn't gain control quickly, he would morph - not into a powerful vampire, but into a very powerful monster.

He fought inwardly, battling his own demons; he didn't want to go back to that, to the Ripper.

His chest burned, aching as the realization ripped through him.

Not that Elena seemed to want to be cured, but he had hoped that he would get to her before anything this significant happened.

He could no longer cure her; at the possibility of their baby being fully vampire, Stefan knew that her human body could not carry such a child.

He yelled, the sound echoing through the dark woods. If there had ever been anything out here, laid to rest or otherwise, they definitely weren't resting anymore.

Destruction was the only way to filter out his anger, and Stefan forcefully swung his fist into the trunk of one tree, two, then three trees, and another. Indentations of his knuckles marked each one.

He didn't know how to stop the rage inside of him, just knew that he needed to keep himself away from anyone and everyone who would try to come close.

Nothing had ever felt like this before.

=x=

Elena stepped forward toward Damon. He sensed her sadness and opened his arms to accept her into them.

Little did she know - and Damon was very good at hiding his feelings - that he was filled with the same anxiety. He knew deep down inside that the last thing he was fit to be was a parent, especially to another vampire.

"I'm scared," She whispered, gripping the fabric of his dark shirt and clenching it in her fingers. She brought him close, leaving no space between them.

"Baby, don't be. We're gonna do fine, okay?" He soothed, cupping her face in his strong palms, thumb running along her lower lip. "We're gonna take good care of you."

"Damon... no vampire has ever had a child. How can we?"

"I wish I had the answers, Elena... but I don't. All we can do is try to figure it out. And I'll help you figure it out. We can talk to Bonnie, see if she knows anything. And maybe Klaus can give us better answers. We'll figure it out."

"I'm 18 years old, Damon, I'm not ready to be a mother!"

"Age is the least of our worries, don't you think?" He replied, making a face. "We've got an eternity to teach you how to be a mom."

"Yeah, if I can even make it through this!"

Sighing, he twisted her dark locks within his fingers, bringing her forward to plant a sweet kiss on her forehead. "I know you aren't ready for this."

"You're not either."

"Maybe not, but I've gotta get ready for it, don't I? I don't have a choice."

"Damon..." She said, peering up at him.

"Elena, everything is going to be okay." He assured her again, looking into her warm eyes with a hopeful, charming smile on his face.

Arms tightening around her, Damon sighed. His eyes searched her face, and though he tried to hide it, Elena could see the worry, the anxiety he kept buried deep within.

For a moment, she knew that it was her turn to comfort Damon.

He softened when he felt her thumb trace the length of his nose, smoothing away the worry line that presented itself when the oldest Salvatore's brows drew together in concern.

"We'll be okay."

=x=

Caroline walked through the dark woods, her fingers wrapped in Tyler's. She stopped dead in her tracks when the shout echoed through the trees.

Afterwards, the calm silence told them that danger lurked nearby.

She shrieked when Tyler stepped on a branch beside her that snapped, catching her ankle. "Ah!"

"What is it?" He asked, alarmed. "That was me, Care!"

She quickly moved out of her spot, eyes scanning the forest floor for whatever had just touched her leg. When she looked back up, Tyler couldn't keep the grin off his face at the flush of pink that tinted her cheeks.

"Aren't you supposed to be a vampire?" He teased, squeezing her hand comfortingly.

"Shut up, Tyler," She whined to him, unable to keep herself from smiling playfully. "Help me find Stefan!"

He groaned, massaging the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Can't we just give him time? I'm sure that's what he needs."

"No, he needs a friend right now, not time."

"Jeez, Caroline, didn't know you were a guy."

Ignoring her boyfriend, the blonde rolled her eyes. "Stefan!" She called, still searching. "Stefan, where are you!? I know you can hear me!"

When she began spotting the formation of knuckles deep in trees, she followed until her eyes landed on a man who truly sported the title of being broken. She felt for him.

He had destroyed everything within his reach, and Caroline hated to see him this way. She and Tyler stood there for a moment, observing Stefan as he fought for his humanity, an inner battle that most people always lost.

When Caroline took a step forward, Tyler grasped her arm. "Caroline, wai-."

"Tyler, he's not going to hurt me. I'll be fine." She said with a reassuring smile.

The hybrid sighed softly, nodding and watching as she approached Stefan calmly. Although he and the vampire wouldn't exactly call themselves friends, Tyler had sense enough to know that Stefan cared for Caroline as if she were his sister or long lost friend. He watched as she placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping forcefully.

"Stefan, you have to stop. You're not helping yourself by doing this."

The older vampire became aware of her presence, and he stilled, turning to stare at her. He caught the expectant, apologetic look on her face, and swallowed as she spoke.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, and before he could pull back from her, he was wrapped in her embrace. He relaxed against her, holding the blonde vampire tight in his arms and resting his chin on top of her head.

"I'm sorry, I know you're hurt. But this... none of this is worth it, Stefan. We've got things to do. You can't worry about them. Elena made her decision. It wasn't one I really approved of, but I don't have a say-so. And neither do you. Let it go."

Stefan hated her honesty sometimes. She was such a good vampire. Caroline managed, out of all of them, to be the one who retained the most humanity. She lost the childishness of it, and grew into a beautiful, brave vampiress.

Tyler was lucky to have her, and Stefan - well, he knew he was lucky to have her too. She was a balance among them, the voice of reason. They had spent the last three months at each other's side. Stefan had trained her well, had taught her self control. It was funny - here he was losing all control of his. He'd been a vampire far longer than she.

And Caroline always offered her best advice, with an honesty that one could only expect from a best friend.

"Caroline," He started. "I don't know what to do."

"There's nothing you can do. Let it go. Either be there for Elena as her friend, or don't be there for her at all. But one way or another, Damon will _always_ be your brother. He's not my favorite person in the world, I'd much prefer you," She said in her know-it-all tone, enjoying the smile it gained from the youngest Salvatore. "But Elena loves him, and he loves her. You know that he's going to do right by her."

"If that were the case then he wouldn't have done this to her!"

"What did he do, Stefan!?" Caroline's blue-green eyes pierced through him, effectively silencing him. "What did he do? Got her pregnant? Nobody knew vampires could conceive, Stefan, you can't blame him for that!"

God, she was always right. He loathed it, although never admitted it.

"Look," Tyler spoke up, breaking the silence and trying to ease the tension. "Let's go to Klaus, get answers. Figure out what next. Elena and Damon can't exactly be prepared to have a baby. None of us can. None of this was possible until just now, so there has to be something special about this situation."

Caroline looked to Stefan, waiting for his approval, and the younger Salvatore sighed, nodding in agreement.

=x=

"Bonnie, I-I have to tell you something."

"What's going on, Elena?" She heard her closest friend say over the phone, voice laced with concern.

"Caroline came by... she said you told her something was off with me, that I was different. Turns out, Klaus was in town. Caroline sensed whatever was different and called him, she told him to come by."

"Yeah, and? What did he say?"

"Bonnie, I... I'm pregnant."

"_What_!?"

"I'm pregnant."

"Is that even _possible_!? How!?"

"That's what I've always thought, but apparently not. I'm scared, Bonnie. I don't know what to do. Why didn't you tell me?" Hormones skyrocketing to the most extreme, Elena's eyes filled, wetness clouding them over.

"Elena... don't be scared. Everything's going to be okay, alright? I'll come over tomorrow. We can call Meredith, see if she can help you or at least refer you to someone who specializes in vampire pregnancies," she said with a little laugh, trying to make light of the situation. "I didn't tell you because I didn't know what it was. I just thought it was something to do with my weird Ju-Ju vibes."

Elena laughed. Bonnie was great at easing the stress in her mind.

"In the meantime, Damon, I know you're listening. If you so much as step a single inch out of line, or do anything to put her in danger... I'll kill you."

Elena laughed when she heard Damon scoff.

"Yeah, hocus pocus, I'm shivering in my boots!"

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" Bonnie asked, her voice warm, comforting Elena in the ways only a best friend could.

"Yeah. Definitely." She said, and the two exchanged goodbyes and hung up.

That was the easy part... now it was down to telling Jeremy and Matt.

It didn't matter so much what her ex boyfriend thought as much as her brother. If Jeremy was a vampire hunter, there was a chance her child would be on the hit list. It was a risk - a huge one.

But being pregnant wasn't the easiest thing to hide. If it was a vampire, who knew what it could be capable of doing to her?

Sighing, Elena got to her feet, walking into the bathroom to observe herself in the vanity. She lifted the bottom of her shirt, staring at her stomach.

She turned to give herself a side view, running a hand over her belly, she stared hard, trying to see the slightest hint of a swell there.

How could Klaus tell?

She moved her hands up, cupping her breasts to test them, wincing at the tenderness.

Damon stood in the bathroom doorway, leaned against the frame and watched her.

"Can you tell?" Elena asked, turning to look at him.

Her sire eyed her for a moment, silent and determining. "I can sense it now that it was brought to my attention."

"But there's no bump or anything, Damon, how could he tell?"

"The same way he knows everything else about the world, Elena."

He made his point then and there. Klaus always had the answers. He was not trustworthy or honest about it, but he was incredibly smart.

"Are you going to send me away?" Damon's cool eyes lifted to her face, drinking in her beauty that reflected on the mirror. He looked pained, not expecting such a question.

"No, are you _crazy_? That's my kid. This isn't the Maury show, Elena. We're not some trailer park family."

"You don't need me for it to be yours, Damon."

"You sound ridiculous," he grumbled, fitting her small hands within his own, squeezing them. He brought her hands to his lips, brushing them over the tops of her knuckles. "Sometimes I just wish you didn't speak."

The smile that lit up her face as she slapped him on his chest made the older vampire grin as he leaned into her, connecting their mouths sweetly.

"Are you happy?" The vulnerability that registered on her face cut through him, and he frowned at her, brushing the tips of his fingers over her jaw.

"With you? Yes. About the situation? I don't know," Damon replied honestly, trying to ease the worry from her mind and body. "I don't know how to feel. I know that out of everything a female vampire loses, this might be what she misses most. The option to have a baby with someone she loves. Guess we just got lucky, huh?"

"Don't leave me," She whispered, leaning against his chest and kissing at the skin exposed through the top of his shirt.

"Wouldn't _think_ of it," He murmured.

"Come to bed."

"After dinner."

Elena moaned unhappily and he guided her over to the bed, kissing her forehead. "Lay down, I'll bring you something."

She accepted and willingly laid back in the bed, lifting her hips and sliding her legs beneath the covers.

As Damon left, most likely retrieving blood from the downstairs freezer, Elena stared up at the ceiling with a sigh. She closed her eyes, gathering an image of her parents in her mind.

"Mom... I'm scared," she whispered. And as much as she wished there would be a reply coming back to her, she heard nothing but silence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thank you for sticking with me so far. This chapter is a little longer, gives a very slight break to the tension. I'm going to try to keep this updated frequently, I know how badly I hate waiting on a story I'm reading. As always, please leave your thoughts/criticisms/concerns/reviews. And thank you for sticking this out with me! Enjoy~!**

**=x=**

A knock at the door tore Elena from her peaceful sleep. Blinking her eyes open, she looked over to Damon, sleeping soundly beside her. Shecarefully eased his arm from around her, but realized she'd failed when a strong hand gripped her hip.

"Where are you going?" He asked cautiously.

"Downstairs... there's someone at the door."

The rumble of a groan that emitted from his chest made her giggle as she left the room.

Damon laid back, eyebrows raised as he admired the view she had to give. "You shouldn't do that!" He called.

Elena twisted the dead bolt on the door, turning the knob. She came face to face with Stefan, who was looking at her carefully.

"Come inside," She said softly.

He walked in as she stepped aside, turning to look at his previous girlfriend. Eyes shifting to the floor, he swallowed and found the courage within himself to look finally look back up at Elena.

Stefan knew he loved her. He always had, always would. Nothing could change his feelings for her, even if he turned off his humanity.

But everything changed the moment he found out there was a baby in the picture. Stefan tried to blame the sire bond for everything that had gone awry in their relationship. Deep down inside, he knew that Elena truly loved and trusted Damon - with her life.

"So, uhh... how are you?" Elena seemed to stumble over her words, too scared to say the wrong thing to him right now.

She understood what he was feeling and felt terrible about being that person. She never wanted to hurt Stefan, and even though they weren't together, a part of her would always love him in some way.

"I'm great, Elena. Thanks for asking." Stefan responded, voice hard and careless. "Look, I'm not here for small talk. You need to go talk to Klaus."

A look of disbelief crossed her face. "Excuse me?"

"You should see Klaus." He repeated himself, face remaining neutral.

"Why would I?"

He felt annoyed, but kept his tone. "He's got answers."

"Klaus doesn't have any more answers than a real doctor, Stefan." She defended, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's not exactly a normal baby, Elena!"

"So? Do you think Klaus is going to have some part in this? No!"

He felt anger rise like bile in his throat. "Elen-.."

"Stefan, no. I'm not talking about this."

"So you're just going to ignore it?!"

"Klaus is probably just bluffing! The only thing that's going to determine that's it is if I go see a doctor. Not a psychopath vampire!"

=x=

Upstairs, Damon sighed at the sound of their back-and-forth, his fingers laced behind his head. He had been listening the whole time, from the moment Stefan had walked in the door. There was no point in intervening; he and his younger brother would either end up fighting, or Damon would just get sincerely pissed.

Besides that, Elena seemed to be doing just fine defending herself - she had a sharp tongue, never nasty, but always outspoken. Never afraid to voice how she felt.

And she was most definitely right. Damon would not have it, in a million years. There would be no Klaus in this.

"And if Stefan wants to be in this, he better learn to shut up," Damon muttered to himself.

=x=

"Don't you want _answers_?"

Elena's brows furrowed. She stilled, as if in thought, but spoke a moment later. "No, Stefan... I don't. Answers aren't going to change a thing. It's not going to make the situation different. I'm still going to be pregnant."

=x=

"Ouch," Damon said to himself, wincing.

He knew Elena's words were like a hot knife, and he felt bad for Stefan. Truly, he hated himself for doing his brother wrong. But there was no way to comfort him, no way to make him feel better about the situation. He couldn't, and wouldn't, send Elena away. He couldn't dismiss her, especially not now.

The only thing that _might_ - and he truly meant might - work was patience, and time.

=x=

She watched him, frowning as she saw the disappointment read on his face.

"You're right," He said, wetting his lips with his tongue and turning his back on Elena.

"Stefan-wait!" The door slammed in her face.

Elena sighed, and when she turned back around, she came face-to-face with a dark haired vampire and ocean-blue eyes.

"Give him time," Damon said tenderly, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

"Should I listen to him?" She peered up at her sire, seeking his direction.

"_No,_" He growled. "I don't want you anywhere within a mile of Klaus. You're on house arrest."

She rolled her eyes. "I have to finish school, there's only a few months left of senior year."

"Finish school?" Damon looked at her, clearly disgusted. "You're having a vampire baby and you're thinking about school. Look, Elena, you don't need school. I've got you taken care of."

"No, I'm definitely finishing school, Damon. There's no argument about this. I'll get out of school just in time before I start showing!"

"There has to be someone there to protect you."

"I don't need protection, I'm a vampire."

"See, that's the problem," He started, speaking lowly. "People think you're a vampire, so they go after you, they decide to kick your ass..."

"Damon, you're being-!" He cut her off.

"And if anyone knows, well, all the more reason! There's a different kind of hybrid, one that's vampire and has Petrova-potential-doppelganger powers! Think about it, Elena! A perfect sacrifice for some kind of crazy crap these people stir up."

She finally silenced, inhaling deeply. "I'm finishing school, end of story."

"Over my dead body - no pun intended," He countered sarcastically.

"Whatever," She hissed, glaring at him dangerously. The female vampire turned on her heel, making her way into the basement for breakfast.

She ripped open a bag, and when the enticing smell of delicious blood wafted into her nose, tickling it, making her need it, she could barely resist.

Feeling almost as if she were in a trance, she ripped the blood bag open further, dipping two fingers inside. When she pulled them out and found them coated in deep, dripping red, her eyes darkened. She watched the blood slip between her fingers and down her wrist and sucked the two digits between her lips, inhaling sharply as the taste infiltrated her.

Her lips stained with blood, Elena stuck her fingers in the bag again, sucking them dry once more. It felt so good - almost erotic to her. There was no feeling more intense to a vampire than that in which one got when feeding.

=x=

Damon's nose twitched at the scent that permeated his being right down to his core. Within seconds, he was standing before Elena, and could not take his eyes off the sight of his girlfriend, eyes closed, blood running down her arms as if she had done this to herself, made herself bleed just for him. He watched her, eyes smoldering and dangerous as he felt a spark low in his belly.

She didn't realize he was there until he was at her side, tangling his fingers into her hair and tugging gently, his hard body resting against her own delicate form. She gasped, staring up at him as he forced her head back.

"Must be those hormones Klaus was talking about," He said softly, leaning down to press his lips to the corner of her mouth. His tongue came out to taste the blood, and he sighed at it's taste mixed with her sweetness, before catching the younger vampire off guard with a hard, needy, dominating kiss.

Elena moaned, her hand languidly guiding up his neck so that she could wrap her fingers in his hair and deepen their kiss.

"You're driving me crazy," He muttered in between her feverish kisses and nimble fingers tugging the bottom of his shirt up until it was coming up and over his head. He responded by forcing her back against the arm of the couch and ripping her tank over her head.

"Damon, I..."

"Be quiet," He said, laying her tiny frame down on the couch beneath her. He made quick work of their clothes - he truly loathed clothes. The fact that they had to exist between he and Elena drove him mad.

And when they were naked and she was eagerly waiting, his body covered hers, one knee on the couch and his opposite foot on the floor. He eased himself into her tight body, gritting his teeth when he felt the wet heat engulf him.

It wasn't just his dick that felt this - it was his entire body. It consumed his being, there was nothing that could compare to this. Not even blood.

Elena smoothed her hands up Damon's ribs, tickling them with her nails, He pulled his hips back and then drove forward, watching his girlfriend's mouth fly open and her eyes squeeze tightly shut. Her nails instantly sank into his flesh, causing the older vampire to hiss.

They continued like this for an hour; Damon held Elena's legs back and pumped into her with wild abandon. And she took it, every bit of strength and need he had to give her. She never told him to stop, didn't dare.

Then again, she never wanted to stop.

"Don't stop, don't st- _Damon_!" He thrust particularly hard, with spot on aim that made her scream and clamp down on his cock. And there it was, one tally mark for orgasms per Elena.

"Ah, shit..." He swore, brows drawn together in the middle in deep concentration as he chased the same orgasm with her.

Damon watched her expressions change, holding her wrists in one hand and pinning them down to the bed, determined to have his way.

Elena's toes curled as another shock wave racked her frame, her back lifting from the bed. The oldest Salvatore slid his arm beneath her, drawing her close and swallowing the sound she made with a silencing kiss.

Tally mark number two.

And after one more, he came with her, shouting her name and dropping his sweaty face to her shoulder.

She wrapped him in her embrace, kissing his temple.

"This," Damon began breathlessly, feeling his heart race heavily in his chest. "This is why you're pregnant."

=x=

Bonnie looked around suspiciously, making sure there was no sign of anyone's presence as she made her way down the stairs into the old Lockwood cellar. She hoped she was alone, that nobody would stumble upon her here.

The silence hung thick in the air. Once more her eyes peered around the empty cell as she dropped to the ground on her knees, pulling a bag of things from her purse and a folded piece of paper, beginning to read. She pulled individual items from the bag and placed them separately in front of her.

"Witches hazel, lock of hair, two candles, the blood of the vampire," She said softly, reading off each individual item until everything she had was presented carefully to her.

A few more directions for set up, and Bonnie looked down proudly.

Closing her eyes as Shane had taught her, she concentrated, taking in energy from every source nearby and every source she channeled. She felt the instant power fill her body. When she summoned enough energy, she began to chant in Latin.

She could hear the wind pick up outside, felt the darkness of the magic take over her. Her eyelashes fluttered as she looked. For what, she didn't know. Something that would confirm what Elena had said to her on the phone.

In her head, images flashed. The candles sparked by themselves, the wick burning high as more power flooded her veins. She was only getting brief moments of the images, but that was all she needed - just enough to prove that Elena was pregnant.

Brows furrowing in concentration, she looked deeper, still mumbling the words to herself.

After moments of images flashing quickly through her mind, she finally caught one worth holding onto.

It showed Elena and Damon, walking through a warm field hand in hand, while their child ran along before them through the tall grass. She could make out no details of the child, and tried to channel her sources harder. She wanted to know everything. And that included if the child was a vampire or not.

Before she could get that far, she was stopped by a strong hand wrapping around her throat and the force of her body being thrown back into the wall.

=x=

"Dr. Fell, it's Elena Gilbert."

"Hi, Elena. How are you doing?"

"I'm good, I think. Listen... I need your help."

Meredith voiced her concern. "What can I do?"

The vampire swallowed, her voice cracking when she spoke. "I-I'm pregnant."

"_What_!?" Meredith said, sounding surprised.

"Yeah... Caroline and Tyler came into town, said they were checking up on me. Klaus waltzes in and tells me I'm pregnant. And... I don't know what to believe."

"You know that's not my area of expertise." Came her sympathetic voice.

Elena made a face. "Yeah, it would be kind of weird if it was. Is there anything you can do to help me? Are there any vampire-baby specialists around?" She joked.

Meredith laughed, shaking her head. "I wish I knew. I never knew vampires could have babies."

"Yeah, me either," She replied with a sigh.

"I'll do my best for you, Elena, okay? I can have ultrasounds done for you - that's not a problem. And I can tell you what I think you need to get through this pregnancy." She immediately got to work, looking through hospital papers for anyone who could point her in the right direction. "I'll seek advice from an OBGYN, and not let them know the special circumstances. But I can't tell you exactly what to do if you're carrying another vampire."

"I know. I don't think anyone can."

"I gotta go, okay? Duty calls. I'll get back with you later on and see what I can find out."

"Thanks, Dr. Fell," She said appreciatively, and hung up the phone.

She turned to find Damon leaning coolly against the wall, a glass of bourbon in his hand. "Want a drink?" He asked.

"I'm pregnant, Damon," She grumbled.

"Oh, right..." He winced, feeling a little terrible for rubbing it in.

"How about a real drink?" He asked, presenting a blood bag to her.

"We already went through this," She replied, and Damon grinned at her.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with hot sex, especially if it involves my girl and blood." His eyes sparkled, brows lifting suggestively.

"Oh, shut up," She said, unable to keep herself from laughing as she tore the bag open and sipped it.

In the blink of an eye she was done, the bag sucked dry. Damon stared at her, his nose wrinkled. How had she downed it so quickly?

He realized then that it must have been the baby that needed the blood.

With blood came power.

The situation would quickly turn dangerous if they didn't figure out a plan.

=x=

"So, witch, the doppelganger is pregnant, is she?" Rebekah said with a bitter smile as she held Bonnie's back to the wall, fingers tight around her neck. "And don't try that headache thing, I'll kill you."

Releasing the grip she had, Bonnie's feet touch the ground and she gasped, massaging her throat. It wasn't until a moment later that she nodded her answer to Rebekah's question, looking down to her feet.

"_How?_" She hissed, moving closer.

"I-I don't know! I knew something was different with her a few weeks ago at school. I found her in the bathroom cleaning up blood."

"She killed someone in the girl's bathroom?" Rebekah asked incredulously.

"No! It was her blood. She was spitting up blood. All day."

"You mean like morning sickness?"

"I guess, that's all I can think of." Bonnie stared at the blonde.

"And what were you doing down here?"

"Klaus went by Elena's last night. I wanted to make sure it was real."

"Klaus? My brother is in town?"

"I think so. I haven't seen him, though."

"What did you see?" The blonde demanded, eyebrows lifting.

"I'm not telling you," Bonnie uttered.

Rebekah was quiet, pursing her lips. A loud snarl issued from her throat, and in a flash, the English vampire was gone, leaving Bonnie alone to gasp for breath.

She had no idea how any of them had ever managed to stay out of danger. And she was concerned for the safety of Elena, too.

Something was missing - there was some reason that she was the lucky one. It may have had something to do with her being a doppelganger, but then she wondered if it had anything to do with Damon and the sire bond.

Gathering her things from off the ground, she hastily collected them in her shoulder bag and rushed up the stairs, looking through the dense woods for any sign of Rebekah.

What she was met with instead was Stefan, looking grave as he ushered her back down the stairs, following behind her.

"What are you doing down here?" The vampire asked, staring at her. "Did I just see Rebekah?"

"I... yeah," She sighed.

"Bonnie, what the hell are we going to do?"

"You're not much for greetings, are you?" She said with a roll of her eyes.

"Sorry," He muttered and crossed over to give her a friendly hug, squeezing her. "I'm stressed."

"Stefan, you have got to stop doing these things to yourself. I'll tell you what I know, which isn't much. But it's only going to upset you more. Stop worrying about Elena." Bonnie lifted a hand to pat Stefan's cheek gingerly, her expression a mix of sympathy and sadness. "She's a pregnant vampire. Two things that I know personally don't mix are hormones and a pissed off mother. And I know you hate hearing this, but she has Damon, too."

Sighing, he looked to his feet, kicking the ground with the toe of his shoes. "I know, I just..."

She knew exactly what was coming, and it hurt her deep down, to know that Stefan hurt so bad.

"Why couldn't it have been me?" His voice was thick with hidden emotion.

The witch pressed her lips together, nodding her head in understanding as she pulled the vampire in a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Stefan."

He was quiet, feeling calmed for the moment.

"Did you see anything?"

"I-.." She tried to find the words, but the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him more.

"Never mind, just... don't tell me. Are you going by there today?" He asked, pacing back and forth as if in deep thought.

"I'm supposed to. Why?"

"Talk to her for me, Bonnie."

"And say what, Stef?"

"I don't know - reason with her! Tell her she needs answers."

"But if she doesn't want them, you can't force them on her. This is supposed to be a happy time for her. Why won't you let her be happy?"

Women drove him absolutely crazy. They always had to question something, always had to be honest with someone who didn't want the honesty.

"I should just let her go, huh?" Stefan replied bitterly, glaring angrily at the Bennett witch.

"Yes, Stefan, you should! Not for Elena, for _yourself_! Because you deserve it!"

Although he knew she was right and these words were out of encouragement - they didn't register to him that way. They made him see red.

Bonnie spoke again, quieter this time. "Move on. Let her be happy. And instead of drowning in your sorrows, go be happy, too. Because you deserve happiness. This isn't something you have control over, and I know that drives you insane! But it's not your choice. It's Elena and Damon's."

"I can't just move on, Bonnie. I have to protect her. I have to keep her alive. If anything happened to her, I wouldn't forgive myself. And if anything happened to Damon and Elena's-" he swallowed thickly, trying to force the word out. "baby, my brother wouldn't forgive me."

"And when are you ever going to find it in you to forgive him, huh, Stefan? You blame Damon for all this. None of us saw this coming. We were all rooting for you. But we can't control her feelings!" Bonnie knew there was no point in trying to reason with him.

Even though she said all these things with good intentions, she knew it was much easier to listen than to take action. And Stefan would probably stick around and continue to torment himself as he watched Elena's body morph.

It had been a few months without everyone, where it was just Bonnie and Elena, meeting up at school every morning, getting through the day. Mystic Falls was different without their circle of friends, it had become an empty town quicker than any of them had anticipated - but it gave Elena and Bonnie time to talk, all day every day.

They were the only friends in contact that each other had.

And even though at first she did not support the relationship between Elena and her sire, she finally realized it was pointless to try and make the decision for her.

Elena and Damon - they loved each other.

Bonnie saw it in the way he moved when she was around, the way he chose his words carefully and didn't dare cross her; the way his eyes watched her every move like a hawk.

Damon _loved_ her. Not for a second could the witch deny that.

"So, Klaus is in town?" Bonnie said, breaking their awkward silence.

"Yes," Replied the vampire quietly, staring off into the distance.

"Great... Rebekah is, too. And I think she's looking for Elena."

Stefan's eyes moved to lock on Bonnie, brows furrowing. "Why?"

"I have no clue, but I sense trouble."

"Shit," He swore, turning to walk up the steps while fumbling his phone out of his pocket. With Damon on speed dial, it took a few swipes of a finger before he brought the phone to his ear, Bonnie following quickly behind him.

"Hello, brother," Damon answered in his fakest 'I'm-really-glad-to-talk-to-you, but-actually-dreading-this' voice.

"Rebekah's here. She just cornered Bonnie in the Lockwood cellar. I don't know what she's up to, but Bonnie thinks she's coming after Elena."

The oldest Salvatore's eyes darkened when he suddenly heard a knock at the door. "She's here," Damon said.

"I'll be there."

Just like that, they hung up, and with all his anger and hurt for the moment pushed behind him, Stefan and Bonnie made their way back to the house.

=x=

"Hello, Damon," Came her velvet soft voice, the always-fake smile on her perfectly pouty lips. "Why don't you invite me in? I want to see her."

"Not happening," He replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "What do you want, Rebekah?"

"How is it," She asked through clenched teeth. "That this stupid girl could possibly be lucky enough to retain qualities possessed by human women? How is she pregnant?"

"Well, actually, 'Bekah - can I call you that? I was hoping one of you could tell me."

"You already know that it's not possible. There has to be something you've done. Tell me, did the witch cast a spell on her that allowed her to conceive?"

Damon's shoulders lifted and fell casually. "I don't know anything."

"Yes, your stupidity makes itself known," She teased with a sadistic smirk.

"And yours is about to be made known right about..." The door slammed in her face. "_Now_."

"Damon, who's that?" Elena said as she fixed the necklace around her neck, looking at him curiously.

"Oh, nobody. Just someone from a long time ago."

"Yoo-hoo, Elena! It's your favorite vampire, Rebekah. Invite me in, I need to see for myself!" She yelled through the door.

By the looks of it, Elena was not in any way pleased. She and Rebekah did not have the greatest of history. To this day, she still wished she could overpower and kick her ass. It didn't stop her from flinging the door open and eyeing the blonde hatefully.

"What the hell do you want?"

Rebekah looked flabbergasted, as if she expected a swollen stomach, something to indicate. All she did was feel. She felt the tension, the hormones that were raging inside of Elena's body right now, slowly but surely beginning to change her.

"Wow, Elena, you look _great_," Rebekah spat, her fake and innocent smile coming over her face as they conversed with the invisible barrier between them. "Would never be able to tell you were pregnant, aren't you just a lucky duck?"

"If I am pregnant, it hasn't been for long. But then again,_ you_ wouldn't happen to know anything about pregnancy, now would you?"

"Ouch," Damon said out loud. Elena's sharp tongue and cruel words made Rebekah's expression falter for a split second.

She scoffed, smirking. "Oh, Elena, I don't need to know anything at all to know that _if_ you make it long enough carrying a vampire child... before too long after, someone's going to come kill the creature."

Damon's expression changed. Approaching the door cautiously, the barrier thick between them, he stared at Rebekah hard, eyes dark and dangerous. "Listen to me," He said.

The original's head tilted to the side, eyebrows lifting, hands on her hips. Her smug expression pissed Damon off. But he knew better than to challenge her - physically, at least.

"If you come near me, my brother, my friends, and especially my family," He swallowed thickly, feeling rage build up so heavily within him that he felt the urge to explode rip through him. "I will make it my life's mission to be the person to kill you. _I will kill you._"

Elena could sense his rage; she felt all of his emotions, all the time. It honestly was one of the negatives of being sired to him.

Rebekah opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the arrival of Bonnie and Stefan.

"Get out of here, Rebekah," Stefan told her, watching as she turned around to face .

The blonde's eyes shifted between he and Bonnie. "Says who?"

"Me." Klaus stepped into Rebekah's view, silently challenging his sister. "Come on, sister. Leave them. You and I will sit back and watch all of this unfold."

As much as she tried to hate him - they had always stuck by each other's side. She knew they would be together for this. Klaus wanted her to stick around. Neither of them particularly cared about Elena's, or her child's, well-being.

It was a game; before too long, they would have a weakness.

"All of this starts with Elena," Rebekah began, staring the brunette vampire down. "Then the Salvatores come in and drag all of your normal friends who were happy living their basic lives into this world they have no business being in. And put them all at risk.

Now that there's a child involved, you're going to protect your child. And your brother and friends will protect you. And the Salvatores will protect your family, friends, you, and your child. But eventually someone will hit you right where it hurts, dearest Elena."

The brunette's eyes were ablaze, hard and fearless. For a brief moment, she gathered the courage and started up out the door, but Damon stopped her dead in her tracks.

"_No_," He whispered, his eyes boring into her own.

"...Okay," She breathed shakily, nodding and stepping back into a safe zone.

"That's right, listen to your sire," She laughed, and Elena lurched forward again.

Damon caught her safely, grabbing at her flailing arms.

"Rebekah," Klaus called to her, waving her on. "Let's go."

The blonde smiled, stepping off the porch and following her brother.

Moments later, Elena wretched, spitting up a mouthful of blood onto the floor. Stefan and Damon both looked alarmed, and both quickly came to her rescue. Damon was at her side to pull her hair from her face while his younger brother quickly retrieved clean up supplies.

"Damon, this is her own version of morning sickness," Bonnie said as she approached Elena, putting a hand on her back. "Get her to the bathroom."

Stefan came back, and Bonnie was quick to join him in cleaning up the floor.

=x=

Damon raked his fingers through her long hair, sighing softly as she heaved.

"I'm sorry," She gasped finally, leaning up. The back of her hand swiped across her mouth, and she looked guiltily down at the blood-stained toilet. "I'll clean this up."

"Go downstairs," He replied, thumbing her cheek gently. "Lay down on the couch or something. Tell Stefan to bring you a bag."

Nodding, she managed a smile and slipped away from him, walking downstairs to join her friends.

When he noticed her, Stefan looked up, and couldn't help the ache that ate at him when she gave him her sweetest smile. "I'll get you a blood bag," He said kindly.

"I can do it, Ste-,"

"You heard Damon. Go relax. Bonnie and I will take care of this."

She agreed with a sigh, thanking the both of them and sitting down on the couch.

It was when the youngest Salvatore treated her this way that she remembered why she had ever loved him in the first place. He was so caring, considerate - she knew he was capable of taking care of her.

It didn't change anything she felt for Damon though. He was so similar to Stefan, but so different. Damon was rugged and careless, some could even call him mean. But that all went away when they were together.

Her favorite part about Damon was that she was the only one who got that side of him. Nobody could read the vampire like she could. But he was an open book with her. He gave her every side of him there was to give, didn't leave anything out.

He was himself, at all times. There was never a moment of hiding.

When Stefan walked back in, holding a few bags in his arms, he handed one to her. She smiled appreciatively, taking it from his hand.

"Want any?" She offered, and Stefan politely declined.

"You know me, Elena."

"I do," She agreed with a smile, and scoot over to pat the spot beside her.

He sighed, reluctantly moving to sit next to her. "Don't act like everything's okay."

"I-" She frowned, pausing briefly. "I know it's not. But... I want it to be."

"Why?"

"Because I want you in my life. Damon wants you in his. And... I want you in your niece or nephew's."

Turning away from her, the male vampire swallowed the lump in his throat. "I will be."

"Do you promise?"

Staring at her, Stefan searched her face, trying to read her. It would be so much easier if she didn't remind him every day of the reasons he loved her.

"Yeah," He nodded. "I promise."

There was a temporary truce for now. He decided that if he wanted anything to do with Elena at all, he'd suck it up and be there for her - for Damon, too.

As much as it hurt, he knew that he had no choice but to be a part of it. He would never let anything happen to his brother, the girl he loved, not even to the baby she was carrying. Being torn away from Elena completely would instigate a permanent switch-off within his humanity.

He watched her lean back, sucking down the blood. She handed Stefan the empty back and grabbed for another one, tearing into it.

"Mmmm," She sighed happily.

When she spotted Bonnie across the room, she pulled the bag from her lips and took a moment to get up and hug her friend tightly. Even though they saw each other frequently, Bonnie's presence always soothed her weary mind.

"I'll give you two some time together," Stefan said, getting to his feet to clear a space for Elena and her best friend on the couch.

"Have you talked to Dr. Fell?" The witch asked.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, I talked to her earlier. Obviously there's nobody who really specializes in this kind of thing, and she doesn't either. She wasn't but so much help... but she said she would call me back and let me know if she could do something for me."

Bonnie pressed her lips together in a thin line, sighing. "I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" She asked.

"Today, I went down to the old Lockwood cellar in the woods. I was practicing, and I saw you. You and Damon, and you guys' kid."

"What?" Elena's surprise was written all over her face. "You saw that?"

"Yeah. You and Damon were walking in this big field. And there was a child running around in front of you."

"Was it a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know... I was trying to keep watching but Rebekah interrupted me."

Elena looked thoughtful. Feeling something strange within, she placed a hand to her lower stomach and looked back up to Bonnie, tears sparkling in her warm eyes. "I can't believe it, Bon. I mean..."

The smile that lit up her friend's face filled Elena's heart with so much joy, comforting her. Bonnie's eyes swam too, and when they both saw each other's emotional state, they broke out into mutual laughter.

"Bonnie, when I have him, or her... I want you to be the God mother."

The dark skinned girl stopped, her expression taking on surprise. "What?"

"I do. You and Caroline, it's only fair. You guys are my best, best friends. I wouldn't want anyone different to be a part of this."

Nodding, the witch wiped a few stray tears from her face, laughing softly. "Of course. You don't even have to ask."

Elena grinned.

For now, she had a good feeling about everything that was going on.

=x=

When Stefan walked into his brother's bedroom, he saw Damon washing blood from between his fingers.

Their eyes met, and the older Salvatore dried his hands off, slipping his ring back on his finger.

"Congratulations."

Damon stood in the doorway of the bathroom, observing his brother distrustfully. "What put you in such a good mood? Less broody than I'd expect of you."

"You're having a kid, Damon. The first vampire in the entire world to conceive, and you did it. You should be proud of yourself." Stefan's face was neutral.

Damon couldn't tell if he was being serious or if he was just being a dick. "Well, I didn't ask for it, ya know."

"I know," Stefan agreed, picking up two glasses from his older brother's dresser. He plopped a few ice cubes in each, and filled them halfway with some expensive whiskey. "Here, let's have a celebration drink."

Eyeing the younger of the two, the raven-haired vampire accepted the drink, moving it in a circular motion to swirl the ice around in the glass.

"To you, brother," Stefan said, lifting his drink to the air.

With a shrug of his shoulders, the eldest raised his glass as well. "To me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: Here's chapter 4 for you all! I appreciate every person who has read and left me reviews. I'm trying really hard to keep this updated on a consistent basis for you all, so please repay me by sharing your thoughts in the reviews! As always, thanks for sticking with me, and enjoy.**

**=x=**

"Are you _excited_?" Caroline wondered, eyes big and filled with amusement.

Elena smiled, glancing down at her feet and nodding. "Yeah, really excited."

"This has never happened before, you know that, right?" Bonnie asked.

"I know. I'm scared, too," The brunette vampire sighed as she gathered her hair in her hand and pulled it over one shoulder. "Nobody has ever done this, so nobody can give me the right advice."

Bonnie and Caroline locked eyes for a moment, both nodding with sympathetic looks on their face.

Elena looked up at her two friends, brows furrowed. "I just don't want it to be some kind of monster."

"It won't, Elena," The blonde replied, reaching over to squeeze her friend's hand gently. "You have to teach it right, just like everyone else."

"Yeah, but there's a chance the problem could be something neither me or Damon could control. That's what I'm scared of." For a moment, Elena was quiet, processing something to herself. "Every vampire was human once, right?"

Both girls nodded.

"Well, our child is going to have two vampire parents. So who's to say it would be... like, two equal dosages of vampire. As in, no knowledge of humanity."

She had made her point. The girls were left in silent thought, as if all of them were trying to find a loophole within her theory.

"You wanna know what I think?" Bonnie spoke first, looking at the two vampires while a smile broke out on her face. She got to her feet, crossing over to squeeze her way onto the couch next to her companions. Taking Elena's hands in her own, she rubbed her thumbs over her knuckles. "I think this baby is going to have two parents who love it more than _anything_. And I don't think hatred and evil is something that you're born with - I think it's learned."

Elena's eyes swam, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Thanks, Bonnie," she said gratefully, hugging her closest friend tightly.

"Well," Caroline said after the emotional moment, wiping a fake tear from her eye with a laugh. "Now that we got past the worry, let's discuss the fun stuff! You know I'm the best planner in the world, so leave your baby shower up to me! I have so many ideas alr-.."

"Caroline, it's no where near time to have a baby shower!" Bonnie exclaimed, laughing.

Of course Caroline would be the one to hype them up about all the exciting things that came with pregnancy. And she was definitely the party planner of the group – so leaving a baby shower in the blonde's hands was something Elena had absolutely no problem with.

"It doesn't matter, we can still plan ahead of time! I was thinking we could do something really cute to reveal the gender. Like, maybe we could have cake, and when you cut into it, the inside is either pink or blue. Orrrr..."

The girls laughed at her. Caroline was already making the night fun.

"Or we could have you and Damon hold balloons, one pink one and one blue one, and one of you lets it go, and whatever color is left is what you're having!"

"Me, _balloons?_" Damon asked, raising his eyebrows as he stepped into the living room, Stefan close behind. He made a face.

"Yep, Damon. Congratulations, you get to do all the cheesy stuff that comes with being a dad," His brother said, slapping him on the back.

The girls broke into a fit of hysterical laughter, and Damon silently fumed as he turned around to glare at his brother.

"You're a dick," He said.

"Aw, come on! Wouldn't that be cute?" Caroline pleaded with him, pouting. "You guys could get portraits done."

"_Portraits_? What the hell are you on, Caroline?" The oldest Salvatore crossed his arms over his chest.

"Damon, the point of things like these are to make memories. Don't you know that? You're supposed to be happy." The blonde spoke to him softly. "Imagine in... a hundred years, when you're looking back. You'll have plenty of pictures so you never forget."

"I never forget anything, anyway," He replied with a shrug. Glancing at Elena, he saw the disapproval on her face. "Dammit," He muttered as he crossed over to her, looking down into her doe eyes.

"You wouldn't get pictures done with me?" She said with a frown.

"Ugh, dammit Caroline. You're already getting me into trouble." He sighed and leaned over to gaze into the warm eyes that looked at him so expectantly. "Of _course_ I'll get pictures done with you, Elena," He said with syrupy sweetness, the corners of his lips tugging up in a boyish smile.

"I thought so," She grumbled as she leaned up to peck him on the mouth.

Stefan couldn't watch them. Standing there was hard, and it was awkward. He glanced down at the floor. It was difficult to maintain composure when they seemed so happy.

"Me and Stefan are going out," Damon said as he stood back up straight. "We'll be back later. Keep the doors locked, don't invite anyone in. Call us if you need us." He said as he made his way over to the door, brother on his trails.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked curiously. She could sense that the Salvatores were definitely up to something – she knew them too well.

"Guys night out," The eldest replied coolly with a shrug. "You two," He said, pointing two fingers at Caroline and Bonnie. "Watch her.

They nodded in agreement, and the door shut. The girls were left to cause whatever mischief they could come up with.

"Where's the champagne, Elena?" Caroline asked as she got to her feet. "Oh wait, you can't drink." She said with a pout, frowning. "Sorry."

"It's okay. You guys can drink it, I don't mind." She waved the blonde on. "In the kitchen, you'll see it."

=x=

"Klaus isn't here, Stefan. Why did you drag me here?" Damon complained as they walked into the grill, immediately finding a seat at the bar.

"Where else does he have to be? If he's not here, he'll be here." Stefan replied as ordered both of them drinks.

"How can you be so sure?" Damon inquired with a shake of his head, taking the glass from the bartender and swirling his ice around in his drink.

The youngest Salvatore turned in the bar stool, facing his brother now. "Because, Klaus doesn't have any friends. He has nothing to do. He'll get hungry at some point tonight, and probably stop in for a bite."

Damon scoffed, shaking his head. "Whatever you say."

"So," Stefan began, eyeing the older of them. "How are you feeling?"

"About what?" The dark haired vampire replied.

"Being a dad." The word almost made Stefan sick. He hated the very thought.

Damon, on the other hand... he wasn't sure how he felt. It hadn't really sank in – or maybe he just shut that bit out. "I don't know," he admitted.

"Really? Hm." Stefan knew had he been the one just finding out the news, he would've been ecstatic. It was the closest thing to normal that he and Elena were going to get.

Pregnancy was probably the number one thing female vampires missed out on. It was a truly human thing to be able to produce a baby and carry it, and then watch it born into the world. It was different than simply injecting your blood into someone. Anyone could do that.

It was all the more of a reason for someone to attempt to take her out. If word spread via Klaus or Rebekah, there would be plenty of vampires – more than likely from all over the world – who had nine months to plan their careful attacks.

Stefan _dared_ someone to come near Elena.

An hour and four drinks dragged by, with no sign of Klaus. Sighing, Damon ordered one more.

Waiting was his least favorite thing, and patience, or lack thereof, was his worst quality. He turned toward the bartender, ordering another drink.

"World's Greatest Father goes to Damon Salvatore, for being at a bar while his child's mother is at home all by herself," Came the heavy accent behind him.

Annoyance read across the oldest Salvatore's face as he grit his teeth, staring down at his drink. Gaining his composure, he turned in his chair to face Klaus with a devilish smirk on his face. "She's being protected, don't you worry."

"I'm sure she is," Klaus replied, danger laced within his tone as he took a seat beside the Salvatores, voice casual and relaxed. He ordered himself a drink, then turned to look at them.

"How did this happen?" Damon had no intentions of beating around the bush. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now.

"Why are you asking me? I've never seen this either, you know." Klaus was not lying.

"But we know you have some type of knowledge. I need to know." The raven-haired vampire's expression read very serious. Begging was not within his gene pool, but if there was something he needed to know - before the pregnancy really began - Klaus had better tell him.

"Why would I help you?" He asked, eyeing the brothers. "It could be the most powerful immortal being to ever walk the earth. More powerful than you, then again everyone's more powerful than you. But most importantly, more powerful than _I._"

Damon scowled. "What makes you think that?"

"Think about it. A complete vampire, with Petrova blood." The English vampire said simply.

"Elena's a vampire – she has doppelganger blood. What's your point?"

"You really _are_ stupid," Klaus sighed. "A complete vampire, meaning a vampire that has never been human. Descendant of Katherine, daughter of the doppelganger."

Stefan looked at him, his expression hard as the words registered in his head.

"If my assumptions are correct," The original began once more, stirring his drink while staring at the Salvatore brothers, a smirk on his face. "More than likely, Elena will need to starve through most of this. Very little blood, to avoid strengthening your child. There's a chance this child could rip her apart from the inside out."

Damon was taking in every word – and the last bit made him swallow thickly, shifting his eyes elsewhere before looking back at Klaus.

"But the problem lies within the inevitable cravings as her hormones control and overpower her. She will want to fight you. She may hate you some days. You have to teach her new control."

"Starving my pregnant vampire girlfriend, sounds _great_," Damon said, his voice laced with fake joy. "How do I protect her?"

"The same way you've always protected her, Damon." Klaus said down his empty glass, gesturing to the bartender for another drink. "Revolve your world around her. Oh, and might I add... If you have any plans of having a normal child," He took another sip. "I suggest you find that cure, before it destroys you."

Getting to his feet, Damon kicked the bar stool away from himself and walked out, rage burning up inside of him. He pushed through the door, stepping out into the cool air and putting his hand on his head.

Why was this happening?

=x=

"Did you really have to say that?" Stefan asked seriously.

Klaus's shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "He wanted answers, I gave them to him."

With a shake of his head, the youngest Salvatore got up and followed his brother outside.

=x=

"Damon," he sighed. Stefan couldn't hate him, as much as he wanted to. "Look, I know you don't know what's going on right now. You need to realize that what Klaus said isn't guaranteed, those are only his assumptions."

"It makes perfect sense, Stefan." Damon threw his hands in the air. "It all makes perfect sense. Elena's going to be miserable for nine months, and the Cure is still the answer to everything, all of the problems." He snarled, kicking the wall and groaning at the pain of impact.

"You don't have to worry about the Cure. We'll go find it. You need to take care of Elena." Stefan grabbed his older brother by the shoulders, shaking him. "This is your responsibility. You owe it to her, and to yourself."

Damon stared at his brother hard, and even though they didn't see eye to eye right now, he truly appreciated the support. "Thanks," the dark haired male muttered under his breath, looking down at his feet. "Let's just go."

=x=

By the time the men got home, Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena were all sprawled out on the floor next to the warmth of the fireplace. A large duvet that Damon recognized to be his own laid beneath them, and a sheet covered them. The brothers looked at each other and couldn't keep the smirks off their faces.

There was an empty champagne bottle, shared by Caroline and Bonnie, and a few pieces of popcorn laid on the floor, evident of a food fight.

"Looks like they had a good time while we were gone," Stefan said, hands slipping into his pockets.

"Apparently," Damon countered as he picked up the bottle off the floor.

=x=

The next morning, Elena was the first to wake up. She wiggled her way out from beneath the sheet without disturbing her friends, and tip toed upstairs to disturb Damon. She walked into the room quietly, and grinned when she noticed him sleeping soundly – or so she thought.

"Thanks for stealing my blanket and my girlfriend. I was cold all night," He murmured sleepily, and could sense the smile on her face.

"Sorry," She whispered as she crawled up into the bed next to him, fitting herself within Damon's strong arms.

He felt warmth spread throughout his form as he squeezed her tiny frame, placing a lazy kiss on the top of her head. "I see Caroline got into the wine cabinet," He said, breathing in her scent.

"She told me she wouldn't, but I told her it was okay." Elena placed her palm to his chest, tipping her head up to look at him.

"Doesn't matter," He replied and bent his head awkwardly to gaze down into her warm eyes.

When she leaned up, Damon closed the distance between them and kissed her, cradling her cheek in the palm of his head. He heard her sigh as she deepened their lip-lock, her fingers tangling into his dark hair to pull his mouth down harder against her own.

Feeling a sudden wave of nausea wash over her, Elena's eyes popped wide open and she ran into the bathroom, dropping to her knees and heaving, a mouthful of blood coming up. A split second later, her sire was behind her, pulling her dark hair back. He placed a hand on her back, smoothing it comfortingly down her spine.

A few minutes later, she got to her feet. "I'm fine," She said, grabbing a few things from beneath the sink to clean up the mess she never failed to make.

With a nod, he stepped out of the bathroom, stretching hard. His bones cracked. There was so much to be done.

"Hey," Elena said as she left the bathroom. "I'm going to see Dr. Fell today. She's going to have some blood work done, to _try _and see how far along I am. And she said she was going to have an ultrasound done." Feeling awkward, asking Damon, she stumbled slightly over her words. "Um, do you want to come? If not, I can get Bonnie or Caroline to come with me..."

"It's my kid, Elena. Why wouldn't I come?"

"I don't know, you just seem so..." The brunette frowned, staring at him. "I don't know. It's like you've turned it off."

In a way, he felt like he had. But he didn't fully, because he knew if he let all of his humanity go, it would take years for him to get it back. He didn't have that kind of time.

"It's a lot to take in." He replied simply.

"How do you think I feel?" Elena replied incredulously, brows furrowing.

"I know how you feel, Elena. You're excited and happy and ready to pick out names and make invitation cards and let Caroline plan the baby shower. We've known for two days and already it's like everyone's trying to control what's going to happen." Damon was quickly growing frustrated.

"What do you mean!? Nobody's controlling _anything_!" And she was getting equally as annoyed. He could tell by the way she raised her voice.

Damon groaned, holding his head in his hands. "Elena, look, I just need time to catch up."

When he saw the hurt that crossed her face, he knew he had just screwed up royally for the day.

"Fine," She began, and that was all she had to saw for him to know – it wasn't fine. "Take all the time you need, Damon. I'll get Caroline and Bonnie to go with me."

"That's not what I-.." When she walked away from him, he sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

The day hadn't even begun, but it was already time for him to think up a way to apologize. He had to get it together. He couldn't act like this to her. Elena's emotions were out of control right now. He didn't want to be the person to make her snap.

=x=

"Hi," Elena said quietly to Meredith, who ushered her into a private room while Bonnie and Caroline waited outside.

"How do you feel?" Dr. Fell asked, looking at her as Elena sat herself in the bed.

"I feel fine. A little moody, but I guess that's normal, huh?" She replied with a slight smile.

"From what I've gathered, yes." The doctor eased her hands into a pair of latex gloves, grabbing a series of test tubes out of her jacket pocket. "I can't do much for you. I'm going to get some blood work, prescribe you a prenatal, and have an ultrasound so we can get a look and make sure there's actually a baby. But we have to be quick. You aren't on any schedule - and I'm not supposed to be taking patients just because."

"O-Okay," Elena agreed shakily, laying back in the bed.

"Let me see your arm," Meredith said. She massaged the inside of the vampire's arm, seeking out a vein.

Moments later, Elena hissed as the needle slid into her vein. At the end of the IV, Dr. Fell attached one of the tubes and allowed her darkened blood to fill the first one, then another. After easing the needle from Elena's skin, she discarded it safely.

"I'm not going to have your results for a few days, more than likely. I'll call you when I find out." Dr. Fell scribbled a prescription down for Elena, ripping the sheet off and handing it to her. "This was something a colleague of mine recommended. Wait here for a little bit, and we'll get an ultrasound for you and get you taken care of." She smiled softly, patting the vampire's shoulder.

"Thanks, Dr. Fell." She replied, a little smile on her face. She wished Damon could be here – it felt pretty awful to not have him.

"I wish I could do more, Elena. I'm sorry I can't. But I'll do whatever I can to make this easier on you. Tell Damon I said congratulations." With the tubes of blood secured, she smiled and turned to leave the room.

With her mind filled with worry, the brunette vampire sighed, laying her palm to her lower stomach. She gazed up at the white ceiling, and was left to her thoughts, all by herself.

A few minutes later, she heard the knob twist and looked up, expecting another doctor. When she saw that it was Damon, she couldn't help it. A smile broke out on her face as he came to her side.

"I'm sorry, Elena." He whispered to her, pushing her hair away from her face. "I..." Damon sighed. He wasn't always good with his words, especially when it came to an apology. "I'm _scared,_" He breathed, voice cracking.

"Why?" She murmured, teasing her fingertips up the side of his neck.

"Last night, Stefan and I went out to talk to Klaus," The oldest Salvatore admitted.

Brows furrowing, she stared up at him. "You did what?"

"We saw him at the grill, I had to get answers from him."

"You could've told me, Damon," she hissed, her usually warm brown eyes darkening.

"Yeah, well you didn't seem to care about the answers. I do. This hospital isn't doing anything for you, they don't know anything about having a vampire baby!" He exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down.

"And Klaus does!?"

He sighed and clenched his fists. "Elena, you don-"

They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

"Helloooo," came a cheerful, sing-song female voice.

For now, the fight was forgotten, left behind them. They would talk about it later. All that she cared about was that her boyfriend was here.

A woman in blue smocks rolled in a large machine behind her, smiling as she waved at Elena and Damon. "I guess you two are the happy parents."

"Yes, so happy," Damon replied, voice kind but laced with sarcasm that only his girlfriend could recognize.

"Well, congratulations," She said, smiling brightly. "So I'm just going to take a look at your baby. We're going to make sure there's an actual baby, get a rough estimate of how far along you are, although the blood work is going to give us a more exact answer."

It was awkward for the Salvatore as he watched Elena lift her shirt up. He tried to distract himself, but the disgusting sound of jelly being rubbed over her stomach almost made him sick. Maybe it was _he _that had piss-poor control over his hormones.

It was then that he noticed the smallest amount of weight gain. He squinted. That had to have happened overnight, because yesterday she didn't even look pregnant. And yet there was just the tiniest of swell, protruding just the slightest bit from her slender frame.

He gulped.

And suddenly, before he could even manage to try and calm himself, he heard it. The faintest thumping, over and over and over again. It was quiet as the technician maneuvered the remote over Elena's belly, and then louder, quiet again, and then loud once more.

"And..." The tech said, concentrating until she found the perfect spot. "We have a baby, with a healthy heartbeat."

Both vampires stared silently, listening to the sound. And there on the screen in plain sight, was their baby.

Damon was breathless.

Tears sparkled instantly in Elena's glossy eyes. When she found the courage to tear her eyes away from the screen and look up at her sire, she choked back a sob. For the first time, she got to experience what it was like to have the oldest Salvatore cry – well, almost.

The woman in blue smiled at them, snapping a couple pictures before she began to explain to them exactly what they were seeing.

"This right here," She started, pointing within a tiny circle of darkness to what looked to them like a white blob. "Is the head. I know you can't tell right now, but it is. And this," She pointed elsewhere. "Is your baby's heart.

By the looks of it, I'd say you're around 7 weeks." She ripped a series of pictures from underneath, handing them to Elena with a friendly smile. "Everything sounds healthy and normal. It's your decision on how often you come back for check-ups, but my recommendation is every 2 to 4 weeks."

Taking the pictures carefully from her hand, Elena stared at them, her eyes still shiny with unshed tears. "Every two weeks is fine," She replied, looking up at the technician.

"Okay. We'll see you in two weeks. Congratulations, sweetie," the woman in blue said, getting up and squeezing Elena's shoulder.

As soon as it was just she and Damon left in the room, she opened a floodgate of emotions, sobbing uncontrollably. The dark-haired vampire took her hand in his own, squeezing and quietly trying to keep his own emotions at bay.

They spent a few minutes together, with the older of the two comforting Elena carefully. After a quick clean up and a bathroom break, she left the room, fingers locked with Damon's.

They noticed two extra bodies in the waiting room – Stefan, who looked up with a kind smile, and Tyler, who was grinning when he saw Elena's eyes sparkling brightly.

"Good news?" The vampire-wolf hybrid asked as they neared.

"Look," Elena whispered as she showed them the pictures.

Caroline and Bonnie quickly grew emotional, enveloping their friend in a hug.

Stefan wasn't barely able to hold himself together, and he knew Damon felt overwhelmed, too. "You okay?" He asked his older brother.

"Yeah," Damon replied with a nod.

"Lookin' a little emotional over there," Tyler said with a boyish grin.

The youngest Salvatore clapped his brother on the back, laughing when Damon scoffed. "I can see you being a baby."

The dark-haired man grunted, rolling his eyes as he playfully shoved Stefan to the side. The three men talked amongst themselves while the girls chatted with each other, sharing the excitement within their circle.

"Well," Stefan started, bringing everyone's attention to him. "We know there's a baby, we know it's healthy."

Everyone looked at him, waiting for something to come up regarding Klaus, the Cure, or something else to destroy the good mood in the room.

"Now, I think we owe two people a visit."

"Matt and Jeremy – I totally forgot!" Elena exclaimed.

"Oh great," Damon moaned. He was in no mood for road trips or to deal with a pissed off vampire hunter who had it out for him because Damon knocked up his sister.

Although he complained the entire way back to the Salvatore residence, he found himself stopping by Caroline's, Tyler's, and Bonnie's to help pack and load their things.

"I would've much rather been stuck with Bonnie," the raven-haired vampire murmured quietly to Elena as Tyler and Caroline got in the back seat of his car.

"Shut up," She grumbled as Damon lifted her bags into the car, slamming the trunk.

Bonnie glanced at Stefan as she sat her final bag at his feet. "Ready?" She asked with a sincere smile.

"Yep, is this everything?" He asked, waiting for her affirmative nod before he slammed the trunk.

"Be careful, guys," Caroline yelled out the window at her friends, waving.

"You act like we're all going to different places," Tyler said, shaking his head at her.

"It doesn't matter, they should still be careful!" The blonde defended, pouting when Tyler laughed at her.

"Everyone buckled in?" Damon asked, turning to look at the couple behind him. "If you two get annoying, I kick you out and you walk."

Elena scowled at him, jabbing an elbow into his ribs.

"Ow," He moaned, putting the car in drive.

With the window down, the warm air filtered throughout the car. Elena turned the radio up, put her feet in the dash, and relaxed as they made their way south toward the lake house.

Even if it meant skipping school – there was nothing wrong with a vacation to see her brother and one of her closest friends.

For now, she was at ease. Everything was normal, if only for a moment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: I'm not too sure I feel very good about this chapter. Please let me know what you think. Your criticism and reviews are truly appreciated. As always, thank you for reading, and enjoy!**

**=x=**

"Damon," Elena moaned, nudging her boyfriend with her elbow. "I'm hungry."

He sighed, staring at her imploringly. "Really, Elena? You couldn't bring a bagged lunch or something?" He joked, turning his head to give her a hard stare. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and with Stefan on speed dial, he called, bringing it to his ear.

Turning her head, Elena looked at her friends in the back seat. Tyler was relaxed, laid back with music blaring in his ears, while Caroline's head was tilted to the side, resting on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"I'm going to stop for a minute, Elena's hungry. And I have to get in the trunk." Damon said into the phone.

"Seriously, Elena?" Came the voice over the phone.

"I can hear that, you know!" She complained.

She heard Stefan chuckle, and smiled to herself. It was a relief that he was getting at least slightly back to normal.

"Alright, I'm pulling over now."

The younger Salvatore pulled onto the side of the road, Damon behind him. The brakes jolted Damon and Elena's backseat passengers awake.

"Why are we stopping?" Caroline mumbled sleepily, looking at her friend questioningly.

"Lunch break," Elena said, grinning. "Hungry?"

Caroline's eyes lit up. "Ooh, _definitely._"

With Caroline scrambling to get out of the car and Damon popping the trunk, they went into the cooler they'd stocked full of blood bags, grabbing a couple. It quickly warmed to a nice temperature, and before too long, both girls were sipping on the entire bag, one much quicker than the other.

"Mmmm," Elena moaned loudly.

Damon got out of the car, looking at Tyler. "You want some?"

Tyler made a face. "I'm good," He declined.

With a roll of his eyes, the vampire made his way to the back of the car, brows drawing together in the middle at the sight of the two girls feeding "Are you two nuts? I thought you were going to grab a few and get back in, not sit on the side of Route 9 having a blood drinking contest."

"Fine," Elena muttered, grabbing a few more to hide in the glove box. "Come on, Care."

They both got back in the car, pulling off behind Stefan.

"On the road again," Damon said, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "Are you nervous?"

Elena was too busy sucking down blood to pay attention to her sire, eyes closed as she happily drank another bag.

"Slow down, Count Dracula. Save some for the rest of us," the raven-haired vampire said, snatching the bag from her.

Elena gaped at him. "Damon, give it back!"

"You're just having cravings, sit back and relax, or I'll make you ride with Stefan." A smirk came across his face.

Elena was not pleased. "You wouldn't dare," She challenged.

"Don't make me pick up the phone," He teased.

She groaned, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms over her chest.

=x=

They turned into the long driveway, parking next to each other. Elena could hardly contain her excitement, and barely gave Damon time to come to a complete stop before she flung the door open and got out, stretching her limbs and breathing in the familiar and fresh smell of clean air and warmth and lake water.

They were not expected, but when Elena knocked at the door and Matt answered, it was obvious that they were more than welcome. Everyone stood out front, bags in their hands.

"Elena? What are you guys doing here? A big grin lit up Matt's face. "Jeremy!" He yelled into the house, stepping out the door. Before he had a chance to hug anyone else, he had an armful of a very happy Elena, his arms around her back. He lifted her up onto her tip toes, squeezing her

Jeremy came to the door, and like his friend, he couldn't hide his excitement as he caught sight of his sister. "Elena!?" He exclaimed, his eyes widening as he quickly approached her and gave her the biggest hug he had to give.

She smiled shyly, stepping forward and into Jeremy's warm arms. "It's good to see you," she said.

"You too," He murmured, cupping the back of her head gently.

"What's up, man?" Tyler said as he and Matt hugged each other tightly. "I haven't seen you in forever," the vampire-werewolf hybrid said, patting him on the back.

"What's up, Care?" Matt said to the blonde kindly, giving her a tight hug.

Everyone hugged, exchanging hellos. Damon and Stefan felt a little awkward and stood to the side – they weren't exactly part of the high school gang.

"You guys look like you're staying for a while," Matt said with a grin, stepping to the side. "Come in."

"I already know where _my_ room is," Elena smiled and turned to her boyfriend, eyebrows raising suggestively. Damon did not appreciate this – now was definitely not the time for her games. He followed her inside, carrying a few bags in each hand. "Dammit, Elena, what did you do, bring your whole wardrobe?"

Everyone picked a room, settling into each one and spending a few minutes unpacking. Elena sat on the edge of she and Damon's shared bed, staring up at him nervously.

"When are you gonna tell them?" He asked as he sipped a glass of blood. The drive had been long, and spending it with Elena had been exhausting. He loved her, but damn she was a pain in his ass.

"I don't know," She said with a frown, looking up at her boyfriend. "Can I have some?"

"Not right now," He replied, finishing the glass and sitting it down. "You're just having cravings."

"Did Klaus tell you that?" The brunette asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "You went to talk to him the other night. I didn't forget, you know."

Damon groaned but avoided her gaze. She would know he was guilty.

"He didn't, didn't he?"

"Yeah..." The oldest Salvatore said.

"Okay, so I definitely want some blood," She demanded, holding her hand out.

"Elena, just listen to me. The things Klaus was saying all made perfect sense." He stood up from the bed, taking her hands and squeezing them gently. "Klaus told me that if the baby was a vampire, blood would strengthen it." He sighed, thumbs sliding over her knuckles. "Too strong, it could rip you apart from inside out. He said I would probably have to starve you."

Elena stared at him as if he were crazy, shaking her head in confusion.

"He said the baby's going to be strong. He called it a complete vampire, something like that. It's when the kid has never been a human and..." He looked up at her, and she could tell by his expression that it was serious.

Approaching him, the brunette reached her hand up to touch his face, leaning forward to kiss him gently.

"He said your hormones are going to be out of control, that it would be hard, that the baby would have more strength than all of us." Lines creased in his forehead, worry making its appearance. "And to top it off, Jeremy hunts vampires."

Elena had never seen him this way. Damon was never weak, didn't usually express concern for situations. He was typically strong and in control, but this was not one of those cases.

"It's going to be okay," Elena assured him, her eyes warm and intense, and the feel of her fingertips tickling his cheeks comforting. "You can do this with me. We can do this. It's..." Emotions once again got the best of her, and she grew silent, swallowing thickly.

He sighed, closing the space between them and wrapping Elena in a loving hug. He laid his cheek to the top of her head.

"We're going to be parents, Damon. Me and you. If anything ever happens, even if the sire bond ever breaks..." She placed her palm to his heart, gazing up into his cool blue eyes. "This will always bring us together."

The words almost made him sick. Not in a negative way, just in a nervous way. They were going to be parents. Damon wasn't capable of such affections – he didn't surround himself with babies, especially not newborns. And the realization of having to raise a kid was even worse; that meant for the next twenty years, he would have another person to look after.

Children were annoying and loud. But he felt protective of this child. Elena was always within his sight.

"Go tell them," He said, looking at her. "I'll come with you."

Nodding, she sighed deeply, mentally preparing herself for whatever she was about to say. She excused herself to go pee, and it was when she walked into the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror that she noticed.

Her shirt seemed tighter than usual, and her belly was just the very slightest bit rounder.

She stared at her stomach in awe, placing a hand there and pressing her fingers in. There was a tinge of firmness within.

"Damon," She said calmly, lifting her shirt up and over her stomach. "Come here."

Walking into the bathroom, he noticed her protruding stomach for the second time. It rocked his nerves to see the growth so soon. They had just found out but she was already showing. It just proved how long she'd been pregnant without them noticing. He got in behind her, reaching his hand around Elena's body to smooth his hand down over the firm bulge. He kissed the side of her neck, drawing back from her.

"Come on," He said softly, taking her hand and guiding her downstairs.

Everyone was gathered on the couches, talking. They looked up when they saw Elena, her fingers locked within Damon's. Their friends, besides Jeremy and Matt, all quickly grew quiet.

"Hey, uh..." Elena began, pursing her lips and trying to swallow back the nausea. "Matt, Jeremy, I have something really important to tell you guys."

The two guys glanced at each other, then looked at Tyler who couldn't keep eye contact.

"What's wrong?" Jeremy said first, staring up at his sister.

"So, um," She stumbled over her words, nerves getting the best of her. She felt Damon squeeze her hand.

"I knocked her up," He said simply, not giving his girlfriend even a moment to decide if that was how she wanted to approach the situation. He spoke as if talking about the weather. Damon shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry."

Elena's brother got to his feet instantly, his expression one of complete shock. Matt sat there, and seemed to be taking that in.

"You did what!?" Jeremy exclaimed, coming out from behind the couch.

Elena could tell a fight was about to break out, and stepped between he and Damon. Jeremy was never afraid of him, because he knew for his sister's sake that the oldest Salvatore would never lay a finger on him.

"Jeremy, stop," She said, frowning. "It was an accident, we didn't know this could happen!"

"You knocked up my sister!?" He yelled, and was getting closer and closer to being able to knock Damon in his jaw.

Tyler got up quickly, approaching his friend from behind and grabbing his shoulders. The girls watched nervously. This had gone worse than expected.

"Jeremy!" Tyler yelled over him, squeezing his shoulder. "Cool it, man!"

"Stop, please," the brunette pleaded with her brother, putting her palms against Jeremy's chest. "Please, we didn't mean for it to happen."

"You're pregnant, Elena! With a vampire's kid!" He looked down at her, and she could see instantly that she had hurt her little brother.

"I'm sorry," She whispered guiltily, gazing down at the floor. "I'm so sorry, Jer."

She looked at Matt, who looked confused, and a little hurt. Their eyes met, and she pleaded silently with him to understand and be kind.

There was a heavy silence in the room.

Elena sighed, staring up at her brother. "We didn't know it was going to happen, Jer. We didn't think it was possible."

"Then why is it!?" Jeremy yelled, glaring at Damon, who scowled and stepped toward him menacingly.

The youngest Gilbert was about to have his ass kicked.

"Damon, no," Elena said as she pushed him away from her little brother. "Jeremy, it was an accident."

In that moment, Stefan was up and beside the oldest Salvatore, grabbing his shoulder and squeezing in a way that Damon knew meant 'back off and relax.'

"What do you mean it was an accident? He didn't accidentally knock my sister up, Elena," Jer replied sarcastically.

Feeling a sudden tightness in her chest as a wave of guilt and shame rolled over her, Elena looked up at everyone, saw them all staring, and could barely fight the tears. She left them in silence, climbing the stairs to her room.

"Elena," Jeremy called after her, voice apologetic.

Damon began to walk after her, but was stopped by a strong grip on his arm that belonged to none other than Jeremy Gilbert.

"Just leave my sister alone, man." He demanded, and followed her upstairs.

Everyone knew that if Damon didn't get out, he would unleash a rage and potentially try to kill Jeremy. He stormed out of the house, slamming the door loudly behind him. Everyone jumped at the sound. Stefan tried to follow, but Bonnie stopped him.

"You know he needs time right now," She said softly, looking at Stefan expectantly.

He sighed, nodding. "You're right," He agreed. Bonnie always had the answers.

"Matt, you okay?" Tyler said to his friend, who still had shock written all over his face.

"I just..." Matt shrugged carelessly. "I guess I never expected that with Damon of all people. But I'm happy for her, you know? If she's happy, then whatever."

Everyone agreed, and they were grateful that at least Matt was cool about this.

"But you guys know Jeremy's her brother, that's why it's so hard on him," Caroline said.

"Yeah, I mean... I'd be pretty pissed if I found out Vickie got pregnant," Matt agreed.

"They weren't given a choice," Stefan defended. "It just happened."

The group grew quiet.

=x=

"Elena," Jeremy said softly as he walked into the bedroom behind his sister, shutting the door behind them. "I just don't know how you could let this happen."

She looked up at her little brother, frowning. "I didn't let anything happen, Jer. It wasn't possible up until now."

"You just," He groaned, trying to find the words without hurting Elena's feelings. "Ever since you've been sired to Damon, you're just careless. You don't think about the consequences."

"The consequences for who? For you?" She demanded, eyes hardening. "You blame this on Damon. Why does everyone think this is Damon's fault?"

"Because, Elena! Everything was fine when you and Stefan were together," He said finally. "Everything was fine. You were human, you were normal, you were careful, everything was fine. The old Elena would've known better, she would've been smarter than this!"

=x=

Standing out on the pier in silence, Damon watched the water glide endlessly within itself on the lake. His ears were tuned perfectly to Elena and her brother's conversation. Jeremy's words punched through him hard. This _was _his fault. All of it was his fault; if he had just left Elena alone to be with Stefan, none of this would've happened. She would be human, happy, not pregnant. Nobody would be dead, she wouldn't be fighting with her brother, everything would be normal.

He needed to make a decision.

=x=

"There is no more old Elena, Jeremy! She's gone, there's nothing anyone can do to change it, so you're going to have to get over it!" She threw her hands in the air. "There, I said it."

Jeremy looked at her, and was completely silent. He knew when to not push his sister, and right now, he really didn't want to push her. But she still yelled at him, and everyone beneath them listened.

"I don't understand why you guys can't just _be happy_ for me!" She complained, shaking her head and walking away from Jeremy.

"Elena, wait!" He said, following after her as she stomped downstairs and out the door.

He stopped himself as she slammed the door behind her, sighing guiltily. Everyone looked at him.

"Give her time," Bonnie advised. "And try to be sensitive. She didn't expect this."

=x=

Sensing his girlfriend behind him, Damon turned away from the water to watch her come down to the pier. He caught her gaze, and she could tell instantly that something was up. His eyes were filled with emotion, icy blue and hard.

Elena stepped forward and into his arms, burying her face in his chest. "Damon," She whispered as his arms came around her, squeezing her tight. "Do you hate me?"

He chuckled, cupping her jaw and forcing her to look at him. "No, baby, I never could," He replied, pressing his lips to hers.

"I'm sorry," Her lips trembled against his own.

"For what? I'm sorry," He took Elena's smaller hands within his, squeezing them gently as he cast his eyes down toward the dock. "Jeremy's right."

"No, Damon," she shook her head quickly. "No, you didn't make this decision on your own. I made this decision too. We didn't know what would happen."

He sighed, running a hand over his face. He was overwhelmed; this entire situation was taking a toll on him.

"I want to kick his ass, Elena," Damon said pointedly, looking at her. He couldn't help but feel warmth wash through him as he saw her smile.

"But you won't, and you know why?" He looked at her expectantly as she leaned up on her tip toes to place the sweetest kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Because you love me," She whispered softly, and he snatched her hands up, yanking her into his chest so that he could tangle his long, strong fingers into her dark locks and kiss her harder, needier than he'd ever kissed her before.

She melted into him easily, smoothing her palms up Damon's back as she returned his kiss deeper, leaning her body into his.

They were interrupted by Jeremy clearing his throat, and Elena pulled away, cheeks flushed red.

"O-oh, sorry, Jer," She said guiltily, an embarrassed little smile on her face.

"I'm sorry," He said with a sigh, looking at Damon and then at his big sister. "I just didn't expect it, especially not with him." He gestured to the male vampire.

"Yeah, well, we didn't expect it either," Damon spoke up, not unkindly, but very seriously.

"I know." Jeremy looked at Elena, studying her carefully. He noticed the barely existent swell within her lower belly and sighed.

Approaching his sister, Jeremy wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. Elena was caught off guard, but took this as an acceptance letter, welcoming the warmth and comfort that only her family provided. Feeling that comfort was rare – neither of them had much family left.

"Congratulations," Jeremy said finally, looking at the oldest Salvatore. "You better take care of my sister."

Snorting, Damon rolled his eyes and looked back out onto the water.

He wished he was the lake, wide and wavering and always on the go so that it never had time to get attached to someone. Forcing his hands into his pockets, he mentally tried to prepare himself for everything that was beginning to shift and change within his life.

For the first time, Damon felt like time was not on his side. He didn't have enough time to take care of Elena, his brother, their group of friends, himself, and their unborn baby. He didn't have enough time to figure out this 'father' thing; he couldn't even say the word to himself or call himself by the title. He didn't have enough time to plan out a way for his girlfriend to have the smoothest pregnancy possible, and didn't have enough time to find the cure, and didn't have enough time to figure out how in the hell to set up a nursery. There wasn't enough time in the day to get done the things he felt he needed to get done.

Fear was a very rare emotion within Damon's life. It didn't exist. But this – the thing he had absolutely no control over – terrified him. He felt the fear deep within his stomach, like boiling hot water being poured down his throat.

Elena snapped him out of his daze. "Come on."

She said, and he turned to look at her questioningly. "Where we going?"

"Back to the house," She said, tilting her head toward the lake house.

"I'll stay here for a little while," He said with a slight smile.

Elena looked at her brother. "Go ahead without me, I'll be up in a little while."

When they were alone, she walked to the edge of the pier where Damon stood, sliding her arms around him from behind. Her palms flattened against his toned stomach, cheek resting on his shoulder blade.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, and the brunette vampire could tell that something was wrong with her sire.

"I wish you were happy," She muttered sadly.

After a brief moment of silence, he spoke. "Who said I'm not?"

"I can tell."

He turned around to come face-to-face with his girlfriend. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. He tried to figure out a way to put it without actually admitting it. "I..." It was very unlike Damon Salvatore to be speechless.

She looked up at him and nodded understandingly. She could feel the same emotions as he, thick and uneasy and heavy. There was no reason for him to say it – Elena already knew.

"Me too," She whispered as she bumped her forehead gently to his.

"I can't lose you," Damon grit out, unable to hold her gaze for very long. "I can't lose you, Elena. If it comes down to having that baby and having you, I choose you."

"That's unfair, Damon, it's your child," She protested, gasping.

"I'm not raising a child without you, Elena!" He replied, his voice quickly raising.

She could sense within that they were about to get in an argument, and she did not have the nerves or emotional zen she needed to deal with it.

"I didn't expect this. Being called 'dad' by someone one day never once crossed my mind. You're a chick, women get motherly instincts. You'll know what you're doing at some point!" He was throwing his hands in the air, trying to stress to her the legitimate concern and anxiety within him. "I don't have any clue, Elena. Not a single clue. I don't feel that way about people, you're the only person I can tell I love. This isn't something I'm cut out for, this is something that should've happened with Stefan, not me!"

The words devastated her. She hadn't expected them to come out of his mouth, and when they did, she was shocked. "How can you say that?" She sputtered through tears that sprung to her eyes and slid quickly down her cheeks.

"Because it's the truth," He said coolly. "This is something Stefan wants. He's the type of guy that can take on being a dad. I'm not."

Damon hated hurting her. It tore him into pieces when she was crying on his behalf. And he didn't know what had gotten into him lately, but his own insecurities about his ability to father really got to him.

"So you want me to be with Stefan? Or are you planning on having me do this alone?" Elena looked like she was three seconds from ripping his head off.

They were seven weeks into this pregnancy, and she was already driving him up a wall.

"No." He sighed. He couldn't fight with her anymore. He was sick and tired of it. Grabbing her arms, he seized her forward once again, kissing the top of her head.

"Please stay with me," She pleaded, her insecurity showing itself. "I need you. I can't do this alone."

"I know," He agreed, stroking her hair from her face. "I can't either. I'm _scared_, Elena," He finally admitted to her, knowing that she would hold his secret safe, and she softened underneath his touch.

"I am too, Damon, and that's why I need you," She breathed out softly, tangling her fingers in his shirt. "It's not Stefan's baby, it's yours."

A loud shriek brought them out of their thoughts, and they looked up to suddenly find Tyler with Caroline over his shoulder. He ran down to the edge of the lake and threw her in, laughing as she screamed and held her nose.

Bonnie was the next to go in. Jeremy and Matt followed after closely, both of them had a struggling witch in their arms.

"On your count," Jeremy said with a grin.

"One," they said in unison, swinging Bonnie toward the lake.

She shrieked, struggling against their hold. "Guys let me go!"

"Two... three!" And Bonnie was swung out into the water, sharing a similar fate as Caroline.

Stefan walked out last, calm and collected as always. He didn't want any trouble with those girls.

With all the men now out of the house and looking at Elena, including Damon, the brunette vampire shook her head, backing up. "Oh, no, I'm pregnant, and I'm wearing clo-!"

She squealed, hollering at Damon as he lifted her up into his arms. Caroline and Bonnie surfaced, laughing cheerfully and egging on the oldest Salvatore to dump her in.

"Damon, no!" She cried as he tossed her in carefully. She had two seconds to take a gasp of air and plug her nose before she was fully submerged in water.

The guys all laughed now that the girls were all in the lake. Tyler, Matt, and Jeremy ditched their shirts and all three went barreling toward the lake, diving off the pier fearlessly.

The Salvatore brothers both avoided the water, choosing instead to stand at the edge of the pier and watch as the group of them laughed and splashed each other with water.

"Where's the booze?" Damon asked his brother, who shrugged.

"I know you brought some," He replied and the oldest of them nodded.

=x=

When Stefan came back with the bottle and a few glasses, he and Damon stood at the edge of the lake and poured everyone, sans Elena, a drink. Passing them into the water, everyone enjoyed the good vibes from being around one another.

Looking at his brother, Stefan ripped open a blood bag and poured the glass to the top with thick, A+ blood.

Elena's eyes darkened when she saw it, realizing it was for her, and she came toward the shore, reaching her wet hands out for the glass.

"That's it for the night," Came her sire's command, and she nodded gratefully as silky smooth, delicious blood poured down her throat.

She was covered from head to toe in water, her clothing clinging to her wet body.

"Elena," He muttered, leaning into her ear. "You need to go change or something. You're driving me crazy."

Her laughter made him grin, glad that for the momentary ease of tension. He and Elena fought about something new every day, but they always managed to get through it.

That was how she knew they belonged together.

Everyone watched as Elena walked away, and Damon trailed behind her like a lost puppy. Caroline and Bonnie giggled as they gossiped about the pair between themselves.

Elena grabbed her boyfriend's hand, squeezing as they walked into the house. As soon as the door was shut behind them, the oldest Salvatore had her pinned against the wall, his hands feeling her up. The brunette vampire was left breathless when he pulled away from their bruising kiss. Her brown eyes got dark, chocolate and molten and needy. He could sense the way she felt.

She was in control now, nipping at his bottom lip and sucking it gently until it was swollen.

"Not here," He groaned, holding her hips in his hands. "Go change, you're making me crazy."

"Into what? A bikini that will only make you crazier?" She said with raised eyebrows, turning around and giggling as her sire followed her upstairs.

=x=

After some amazing sex and a swim with her friends as they tossed a football amongst all of them, and even onto shore where Damon and Stefan could join in, they all gathered in the house to sit around the table and have dinner together.

They talked about everything and nothing. It was a nice, comforting, tension-free conversation. They all laughed, caught up, and joked about everything that had gone on. They talked about the cure, Elena's pregnancy, Bonnie's new witchcraft, and Caroline's plans for the baby shower. Jeremy talked about he and Matt's training together and their morning jogs that Tyler decided he would be joining in on. They all put in opinions on names for the baby, most of which made Damon scoff and Stefan laugh.

The group enjoyed each others company. It was rare that they got together, and their sudden unexpected reunion turned into something pretty awesome.

The rest of the week was spent the same way. They partied late, acted as if they were teenagers in a normal world rather than adults in a very screwed up reality. They got to know each other like they hadn't before, and made plans for the near future to all see each other again. They planned a trip to search for the cure in hopes that they could make it back before the nine months Elena had were up.

Caroline and Tyler spent time at each others side. As usual they were lovey-dovey, touchy-feely, and the vampire-werewolf hybrid couldn't keep his hands off the blonde.

Jeremy and Bonnie got alone time together to discuss where their relationship was going. She got the true feelings from him about the pregnancy, and they both came to mutual conclusions that they were going to wait it out a little longer until Jeremy could come home before they allowed themselves to be together.

Matt caught up with Elena, and they reminisced on times far away when they were younger, up until as recently as when they dated. He'd been so heartbroken over her. Now he was just grateful to see her happy.

Even the Salvatores bonded, trying to sort out their differences and understand the way each other felt. Damon knew he had done his little brother wrong and had hurt him, but they agreed that they would always have each other back. Without Elena's knowledge, they both made a pact. If anything were to happen to Damon, his brother promised that he would take over. It was a milestone for them, and it meant a lot.

The vacation ended quicker than it began. The group of friends found themselves feeling closer than they ever had. With everything packed and ready to go, loaded into the backs of Damon and Stefan's vehicles, they exchanged hugs, see you soons, and promises for a future meeting.

Waving goodbye out the window, Elena yelled at her brother and one of her closest friends. She felt emotional, and couldn't help but laugh when Caroline squeezed her shoulders.

"Relax, cry baby, we'll be back soon," The blonde teased with a smile, waving goodbye to her two friends as well. "Jeez, Elena, you and your crazy emotions."

Both girls looked back out the window at Bonnie – who always took it a little harder than the rest. It was hard loving someone you couldn't exactly be with, they knew that. Their witch friend loved Jeremy, but for the time being, it just wasn't supposed to happen.

"You okay?" Damon questioned as he looked at his girlfriend.

"I'm fine," She replied with a smile, looking at him. "Ready to go sleep in our bed," She said with her eyebrows raising.

The oldest Salvatore smirked and pulled off and down the driveway. "Me too."

When everyone separated finally, it was a bittersweet goodbye between all of them. So much had been figured out during the time at the lake house. So many plans had been made. Stefan, Caroline, and Tyler separated from them once they got back in Mystic Falls.

"We'll see you in a few months," Caroline said softly, sharing a group hug with her two friends. They hugged her. Things wouldn't be the same without them. It was like they got a moment of happiness – all of them. And then reality set in and they knew that for Elena's safety, they all needed to separate.

Saying goodbye to Stefan was hardest. She hugged him, and let him hold her close as he promised her the same things he always had, as if they had never broken up.

"I'll get that cure for you," He said, stroking her soft brown hair. "Be easy on Damon, he's going through a lot."

She laughed at him, breathing in Stefan's comforting scent. "I will. You guys be careful." She said, pulling back from the youngest Salvatore to hug Tyler tightly.

"Be careful, please," Tyler pleaded with her, smiling boyishly.

Damon took to Stefan's leaving a little harder than usual. For the first time since their relationship again, Elena saw the Salvatore brothers hug one another, slapping each other on the back.

Stefan shared the same words with his older brother. "Be careful with her. Call me if anything happens."

The last bit of separation was Damon and Elena from Bonnie. They were grateful that she was close by – at least the brunette vampire had her best friend. It made it just the slightest bit easier to know that the witch was only a few miles up the street.

"You okay?" Elena asked her friend, who was still feeling a little sensitive from the ache of having to walk away from Jeremy once again.

"I'm fine," Bonnie said, smiling softly and nodding as she hugged Elena goodbye. "I'll see you at school?"

"Yeah," The female vampire agreed with a smile.

"C'mere, Bon," Damon teased her with a grin as he hugged her tightly.

Bonnie laughed, hugging the oldest Salvatore. Besides Stefan and Elena, she was probably the one that Damon favored the most.

=x=

Back at their house, after unloading their bags, both of them wanted peace and quiet with each other. It had been a few days since they could comfortably have sex without worrying about who might walk in on them. And Damon had made his plans with his girlfriend _very_ clear before they even began the drive home.

Home felt good, it was cozy and just where she wanted to be with her sire.

After a few drinks, Damon willed Elena to come upstairs and take a shower with him.

Shower lead to other things, and other things lead to a very tired couple, who closed their eyes and relaxed next to each other, with Elena falling asleep in her sire's protective arms.

Sleep did not come easily to the male vampire. He couldn't take his eyes off her, couldn't keep his hand from sliding down to feel the swell of her tummy where their child rested.

"Dad," He whispered to himself. "I'm gonna be a dad."


End file.
